The Little Things
by emilycare
Summary: Lucy and Wyatt moved to San Diego after college. Lucy answers Wyatt's Craigslist ad looking for a housemate. An emilodie joint production as a birthday gift for Elodie/Alodis. Based on Elodie's brilliant premise of a no-time-travel AU that mashes up with the Liam/Annie romance from 90210 with Timeless.
1. Chapter 1

An AU where Lucy and Wyatt moved to LA after college. Lucy answers Wyatt's Craigslist ad looking for a housemate and they make an odd couple: Wyatt making a living working on cars, Lucy writing fiction in her spare time and searching for a job. They get along like cats and dogs, but Lucy feels this strong attraction to Wyatt, and starts writing a romance novel to dispel the feelings. Inspired by Matt's turn on 90210 and the Liam/Annie romance.

Happy Birthday, Elodie!

* * *

Lucy set her cruise control for 75, cranked up the radio until it blared and settled in for a long ride full of winding roads and self recriminations. She had nowhere to go home to now. The argument with her mother still rang in her ears.

"Lucy, you're throwing your life away! I didn't raise you to see you fritter away your talents." Carol was dumbfounded and outraged. She waved the acceptance letter from the literary magazine that Lucy had handed her in the air, crumpling it slightly.

Lucy snatched the letter back from her mother's hand. "And what talent is that mom? The one you forced on me? Instead of letting me experience what I like or do what I want?" Lucy flattened out the paper and folded it neatly in thirds. This was the one thing she had been able to accomplish on her own and her mother treated it like garbage.

Carol took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She had to make her daughter see reason. "Lucy, I've had to struggle for everything I've given you. Life is hard for a single mother. You've been blessed with intelligence and beauty, and all the advantages I could scrabble together to help send you on your way. You can be a somebody in this world without having to fight for it as hard as I did." Lucy's face was set. Carol could feel her daughter's resistance. Her own temper broke through again. "I just don't understand how you can't see that!"

Lucy spoke heatedly in return, "No, you CAN'T see that I want to choose for myself. I want the life I decide to have. This is my life, not yours. My choices will impact my life and only mine."

"Lucy, in so many ways you're still just a child. Of course your choices affect everyone around you. Adults don't get to 'just do what they want,' if that had been my attitude, we would be nowhere, trust me. Now listen to me and forget all about this writing nonsense."

"Nonsense?" Lucy's eyebrows raised in offense and disbelief. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. I'm leaving whether you like it or not."

"Leaving? Where would you go? Lucy, don't be foolish!"

Lucy's chin came up. "Away. Far away from this life you chose for me. I'm going to decide my own future and you can't stop me."

Carol sighed and shook her head slightly. "Lucy, be reasonable. You've got debts to pay, and no job. This little magazine may have accepted your story, but that won't pay the bills. You don't know how hard it is to live on your own. Stay here with me, get yourself established, and we can enroll you in grad school for the fall." Carol stepped close to her daughter and put her hand on her head, brushing her hair gently. "You won't have to pay rent, you can get a job at my office. We need a clerk and it will let you get to know the professors in my department." Carol's hand landed on Lucy's shoulder encouragingly. "They'll see how intelligent you are and it will open doors. You can write in your spare time if you want, honey, but don't let it get in the way of a real career."

Lucy realized her mother could go on like this all night. She just wasn't listening. She realized the only thing her mother would understand was action. She shook off her mother's hand and went to her room.

Carol followed her, continuing to talk. Lucy listened carelessly, recognizing the vision for her life that her Mother had marked out for her for so long. When she was a girl, she had idolized her mother. Wanted to be just like her. She'd excelled at class. Gone for high honors in high school, and took advanced courses in college.

Each A+ she thought would be the culmination that her mother was looking for. Each in-depth project, she hoped would satisfy her mother's craving for Lucy's accomplishments. She spent a summer working with migrant workers, tracking their stories of travel across distant miles, the stories of their parents and great-grandparents. She spent a semester tracing the lineage of the first woman who held office in San Francisco. The networks she had been part of, the community that shaped and made her life possible.

Her mother applauded her efforts, then tore her papers to shreds. More sources, more details, more insights to be squeezed out of this work. It was exhausting. It was never enough. She was never enough.

Her only release had been her writing. Her own creative imagination that let her go where ever she wanted to go. Be whatever she wanted to be. She never let her mother read her work. It was precious, private.

The life her mother wanted her to lead was hard, exhausting, ambitious..and also safe. Lucy craved the freedom of her heart, to explore the world and break out of the bounds of academia. To be able to taste life, despite its dangers.

But of course, her mother was right in one thing. Lucy had never been on her own before. Everything looked exciting, and dangerous to her now.

Seeing blue lights in the distance she hit her gas pedal, letting the car coast back down to the speed limit. Her pulse pounded with adrenaline waiting for the police to pick her off for speeding. But someone else had been stopped by the police and Lucy glided by unnoticed. She sped down route 101, knowing she needed to take one of the side routes soon that would take her to Route 5, the safe speedy way to San Diego. But her heart kept pushing her to head towards the sea and Route 1.

The exit signs announced her choice. She had to make up her mind. Lucy hesitated. She had never driven such challenging road ways. The slow, narrow road way of Route 1 crossed towering cliffs with breathtaking views of the ocean. Its primordial forests had captured her imagination and heart as a child. But after taking that route once, her mother studiously avoided it. They took the safe roads. The quiet boring roads.

Lucy was done with all that. She made her choice. To the sea.


	2. Chapter 2

The apartment was as advertised: cozy and not horrible. Wyatt helped Lucy move her things up the three flights to their small dwelling. The rooms were furnished, if sparsely. Wyatt had the room on the avenue where their building faced. The room had larger windows which gave more light but carried the sounds of traffic from the busy road below. Lucy's room was on the side street. Darker and quieter, the room suited her. She hung her two good dresses in the closet, beside the favorite silk wrap that she couldn't leave behind. Then she unpacked the rolling suitcase Wyatt had insisted on carrying, and she was done.

Wyatt leaned in the open doorway to her room. "I was gonna see if you wanted any help settling in, but it looks like you've got things covered. You sure do travel light..." His eyes asked a question. Lucy took advantage of his polite lack of directness and shut down that line of inquiry.

"That's me. All I need is my computer and room to write. No baggage." She smiled brightly then said politely but dismissively. "Thanks for your help."

He looked taken aback but straightened up. "Sure thing. Say the word if you need anything."

Lucy closed the door after he left and settled down at the small desk with its single hard chair. She stood up and tugged at it until it was centered beneath the window. She could just barely see palm trees swaying and a hint of deep blue. She found herself thinking about eyes that color and shook herself to wipe away the thought. _Sleeping with a housemate is a recipe for disaster. _

She dug out her files and tried to work on the historical short story she'd begun during her last semester at school. But after a few moments she found herself distracted by the thought of the artist character that had come to her at the cafe. She started taking notes on his studio and the characters he painted in his little island home.

She hesitated, _Is it strange to keep writing this when it was inspired by Wyatt, now that we are living together?_ She shook her head. _This is entirely different, Wyatt is a mechanic, Liam is an artist and a painter. Broad shoulders and a dimple do not a personality make. _She went on writing, quieting that small voice that tempted her every so often to go out and see what living with her new room mate might actually be like. _Plenty of time for that._

* * *

Wyatt's friends threw him a housewarming party. Lucy told him she'd make herself scarce, not wanting to be in the way. Wyatt had other ideas.

"Please come! It's going to be a campfire on the beach. You'll love it. And they all want to meet you."

"What you do you mean? They don't even know me?"

"I may have mentioned you once or twice."

Wyatt glanced away. Lucy got the strange impression that Wyatt was embarrassed, but the expression disappeared and he gestured expansively to the apartment. "Besides, what else are you doing tonight?"

Lucy winced. Was it that obvious she knew no one but Wyatt yet? "I'm afraid I'll be out of place."

"My friends don't bite. I can almost guarantee that you will hit it off with Jiya."

"How come?"

"Well, she's scary smart."

"Like me?"

"Maybe."

That evening, Lucy made her way to the party. The wind whipped at Lucy's hair. Her feet sank into the sand. Wyatt had said the party would be at the first fire circle after the pier. She saw light flickering and the sound of laughing voices carried to her. She saw what she thought was Wyatt's silhouette putting logs into the fire.

Nervous she stopped, still wondering if this was a bad idea. Nothing worse than knowing no one at a party. She stood listening to the sound of the ocean. She wanted to meet people and this was a golden opportunity. _I've got to start meeting people somehow. Why not start with Wyatt's friends? _She thought. _Plus,_ a small voice in her mind added, _you get to spend time with Wyatt. He wanted you here... _She tried to squash that thought down as unrealistic. But she walked to the circle of light surrounding the fire with a bit more lift in her steps.

"Lucy! You came out!" Wyatt scrambled up from a squat folding chair. The chair half folded as he stood up catching on a string dangling from his shorts. Wyatt had reached his hand out in Lucy's direction but pivoted back to disentangle himself.

Lucy took in the scene. A semi-circle of occupied chairs extended around the fire interrupted by a large cooler on a large blanket with several bodies lying or sitting on the hummocked sand. The cooler was half-open, filled with beer cans and ice that glittered with reflected red and golds of the flames. During Wyatt's distraction, Lucy saw a hand wave her over. She moved that direction gratefully. A slim woman with beautiful, large dark eyes greeted her and shooed a fellow in a hoodie with the enigmatic word #clockblockers on it out of a seat next to her.

He stood but said exasperatedly, "Where am I supposed to sit?"

"There's room on the blanket, Rufus. Be nice to the new girl."

He sighed. As Lucy sat down, feeling guilty, the woman stood up and put her hands around Rufus neck, smiling broadly at him and gave him a sound kiss. Rufus returned the kiss and sighed again, this time in contentment. As she sat back down beside Lucy, he mumbled something about just wanting to be with his girlfriend, then turned to Lucy and told her she was welcome to sit down in a tone that convinced her he really meant it. She settled in to let her eyes adjust as he someone made room for him on the blanket.

"Hi, I'm Jiya."

"Jiya? Oh, I heard about you."

"Really? From Wyatt?"

"Yeah, he's the only person I know around here yet." She glanced around the fire. A few people were opening up a package of hot dogs and skewering them on a set of overlong forks. Two girls napped with their arms around each other on the blanket. A trio in peeled back surfing skin suits argued over where they should hit the beach tomorrow. She recognized no one. Her eyes found Wyatt who nodded and waved her way. She smiled back, reassured somehow.

"You really are the new girl, aren't you? You're from north somewhere, right? San Jose or something. Want a beer?"

"San Francisco. Sure." Jiya gestured to her boyfriend who nudged someone beyond the cuddling couple. They grabbed a beer and tossed it across the blanket, vagely in Jiya's way.

Jiya reached for it but deftly grabbed the can from the air. She handed it to Lucy saying, "Here ya go. Watch that!" She spoke too late as Lucy opened the tab and beer gushed out in a foamy guyser. Lucy held the beer out, first trying to sip it but she was not in time to avoid spilling it all over her lap. She pushed it away from herself, only to pour another foaming burst onto the Jiya's shoulder and neck.

Jiya shrieked in laughter, and several others joined in. All eyes were suddenly on their corner of the circle. Lucy stood up, embarrassed. She missed Jiya offering her a towel. Lucy made a somewhat incoherent apology and walked out of the circle, towards the water.

She rolled her eyes at herself. _Stupid, stupid. The first thing you do when you meet anyone is embarrass yourself._ She heard her mother's voice, telling her she need to grow up. She kicked at the hard packed sand beneath her feet. The waves lapped at her. She knelt, splashing the frothy water on her shirt, her senses flooded with the hoppy scent of beer and the taste of salt.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lucy jumped at the voice. Wyatt had followed her, but she hadn't heard his footsteps over the sound of the waves. He made a calming gesture in response to her apparent alarm. "Everything's fine, Lucy. You just shot out of there, I was worried."

He helped her get up. Her middle was sodden now. "Here. Jiya thought you might want this." He handed her a towel. Lucy took it gratefully and rubbed at herself rather ineffectually. The waves rushed at their feet again. Wyatt extended his arm automatically and Lucy found herself leaning into his strength.

_Those muscles are **not** for show,_ she found herself marveling.

"The tide's coming in. I'd better get you back to the fire before you drown yourself." He lead her back to the shifting sands.

Lucy huffed. "I'm not a child, Wyatt."

A pause. "No, of course not. I was just kidding. I was kind of worried though. They would kill me if I let you get hurt before my friends got to meet you properly."

Lucy found herself melting inside at his admission of worry. But she shook off the feeling. She shrugged. "But after they meet me all bets are off? After that introduction, I bet they figure they found their new court jester."

"No way, Lucy. And if they did I'd tell them something."

Lucy's heart fluttered. _Shut up,_ she thought to herself. Luckily they had reached the fire and Lucy was saved from having to respond to that. People had shifted. There was now a knot of people, including Jiya and Rufus, toasting then eating hot dogs with buns. A few were on to marshmallows, and she thought she saw chocolate and graham crackers circulating. The couple on the blanket were feeding each other uncooked marshmallows with desperately cute looks of delight on their faces. Many more chairs were free, including one right next to Wyatt's tiny lawn chair which he gestured her towards. She joined him, settling into a much higher chair. Peering down at him she said, "Who's the child now." He looked up at her eyes widening, so she thought she'd offended him at first, but then a crooked grin lit his face and they laughed quietly together.

"Lucy!" Jiya crossed over to her, a hot dog crossed by lightning bolt squirt of mustard in her hand. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you off."

Lucy denied any such thing, all the while thinking how absolutely scared off she'd been. Like so many other times when she felt she didn't fit in. She was sure they'd all been laughing at her when she left, but Jiya chatted easily with her. As did Rufus who joined them his face sticky with marshmallow and chocolate. They teased him about the offending treat and Lucy started to see that ribbing and verbal darts were just part of these friends' repartee. She started to relax, and she caught Wyatt looking at her with a smile, though he looked away so she couldn't be sure he had been after.

Easing into the friendly joshing, Lucy told them what Wyatt had said about them not forgiving him if she'd gotten hurt. They laughed, and she admitted that she had felt embarrassed.

Jiya was reassuring, "Lucy-you have no reason to feel bad. It was Jo's fault for tossing that can over. Of course it was going to explode all over the place."

Rufus raised the ante, "Besides, you didn't hold a candle to Wyatt's antics, especially where beer is concerned. You've got a lot of catching up to do if you want to really, embarrass yourself." He launched into a story about their senior prom night involving an all night restaurant, far, far too much extremely cheap beer and Wyatt getting himself stuck in the dumpster out back while heaving his guts out. Wyatt tried to head off the story, but Rufus and Jiya were emboldened by other friends who hadn't been there who prompted them to provide some key details about Wyatt's cummerbund and where it ended up in the morning. Wyatt fell silent and seemed to slump into his chair. Lucy laughed along at first, but other comments started painting a picture of Wyatt that was unflattering, worrying even. She looked at him furtively, eyeing the beer can nestled in the cup holder in his chair.

The beach had fallen dark now. Cars moved slowly by, their headlights flickering across the palm trees every now and then. A group of people walked across the sands from the parking lot, talking loudly and laughing. They merged with the Lucy's group and the discussion turned to places to party that night, where the group had come from and where they were planning to "get blasted" later that night.

Lucy's unease which had slipped away briefly, returned in force. Her own drinking was limited to the occasional glass of wine (preferably sparkling) and although she had no trouble with social drinking the hard hitting, blackout inducing abuse of alcohol she'd witnessed in her peers during college had put her off this kind of thing. She no longer was able to contribute to the conversation and felt more and more isolated. She looked for Rufus and Jiya, but they were walking down the beach hand in hand.

Lucy's discomfort reached a fever peak when a very attractive blonde in a tank top plopped herself onto Wyatt's lap. "I hear you've been telling everyone about prom!"

"Oof! Yeah, Jess, it came up-"

She beat a tattoo on his chest, interrupting him. "Those were the good old days. I swore I would never forgive you for ruining my night, but that turned out to be the best story. You were absolutely green when you came out of the dumpster." She guffawed, "Everyone else had such boring nights. And that next day..." She ran her fingers suggestively over his chest now. Lucy could swear Wyatt was squirming in the chair. She looked away. _Ah, he's got a girlfriend. Of course. Someone that gorgeous... _

Miraculously, Rufus and Jiya returned and Lucy moved off to join them. She grabbed a hot dog and a fork, and chatted with the couple. Lucy studiously kept her eyes pointed away from the group surrounding Wyatt but somehow she found herself in possession of the knowledge that Jess ("Oh, you met Jessica, huh? She and Wyatt were hot and heavy in high school. Quite the item," Jiya shared.) had taken the seat Lucy had left empty. She wasn't sure what to feel about that. Pleased that he hadn't kept her on his lap, or sad that he'd not found a way to extricate himself and come back to her.

_Come back to me? When was he with me?_ she thought. Their moments by the water came back to her. _He was just being a good host._

Lucy headed out not long after. She did exchange numbers with Jiya, but she slipped out without saying goodbye to Wyatt. She felt like a coward, but looking back at the circle of faces laughing in shadow and light and she shook her head. Voices shouted out the name of a bar, and she felt right about her choices. She didn't have time for partying and certainly didn't have money to spare getting drunk. She'd been right about him. Nothing to think about.

Surely nothing she should spend several restless hours thinking about. Not the feel of his hand in hers helping her stand in the surf. Certainly not the glimmer of a smile in his eyes, with the firelight reflected. Nothing there at all.

But oh, wouldn't that detail about the cummerbund be nice in that bit of the story..


	3. Chapter 3

The apartment was as advertised: cozy and not horrible. Wyatt helped Lucy move her things up the three flights to their small dwelling. The rooms were furnished, if sparsely. Wyatt had the room on the avenue where their building faced. The room had larger windows which gave more light but carried the sounds of traffic from the busy road below. Lucy's room was on the side street. Darker and quieter, the room suited her. She hung her two good dresses in the closet, beside the favorite silk wrap that she couldn't leave behind. Then she unpacked the rolling suitcase Wyatt had insisted on carrying, and she was done.

Wyatt leaned in the open doorway to her room. "I was gonna see if you wanted any help settling in, but it looks like you've got things covered. You sure do travel light..." His eyes asked a question. Lucy took advantage of his polite lack of directness and shut down that line of inquiry.

"That's me. All I need is my computer and room to write. No baggage." She smiled brightly then said politely but dismissively. "Thanks for your help."

He looked taken aback but straightened up. "Sure thing. Say the word if you need anything."

Lucy closed the door after he left and settled down at the small desk with its single hard chair. She stood up and tugged at it until it was centered beneath the window. She could just barely see palm trees swaying and a hint of deep blue. She found herself thinking about eyes that color and shook herself to wipe away the thought. _Sleeping with a housemate is a recipe for disaster. _

She dug out her files and tried to work on the historical short story she'd begun during her last semester at school. But after a few moments she found herself distracted by the thought of the artist character that had come to her at the cafe. She started taking notes on his studio and the characters he painted in his little island home.

She hesitated, _Is it strange to keep writing this when it was inspired by Wyatt, now that we are living together?_ She shook her head. _This is entirely different, Wyatt is a mechanic, Liam is an artist and a painter. Broad shoulders and a dimple do not a personality make. _She went on writing, quieting that small voice that tempted her every so often to go out and see what living with her new room mate might actually be like. _Plenty of time for that._

* * *

Wyatt's friends threw him a housewarming party. Lucy told him she'd make herself scarce, not wanting to be in the way. Wyatt had other ideas.

"Please come! It's going to be a campfire on the beach. You'll love it. And they all want to meet you."

"What you do you mean? They don't even know me?"

"I may have mentioned you once or twice."

Wyatt glanced away. Lucy got the strange impression that Wyatt was embarrassed, but the expression disappeared and he gestured expansively to the apartment. "Besides, what else are you doing tonight?"

Lucy winced. Was it that obvious she knew no one but Wyatt yet? "I'm afraid I'll be out of place."

"My friends don't bite. I can almost guarantee that you will hit it off with Jiya."

"How come?"

"Well, she's scary smart."

"Like me?"

"Maybe."

That evening, Lucy made her way to the party. The wind whipped at Lucy's hair. Her feet sank into the sand. Wyatt had said the party would be at the first fire circle after the pier. She saw light flickering and the sound of laughing voices carried to her. She saw what she thought was Wyatt's silhouette putting logs into the fire.

Nervous she stopped, still wondering if this was a bad idea. Nothing worse than knowing no one at a party. She stood listening to the sound of the ocean. She wanted to meet people and this was a golden opportunity. _I've got to start meeting people somehow. Why not start with Wyatt's friends? _She thought. _Plus,_ a small voice in her mind added, _you get to spend time with Wyatt. He wanted you here... _She tried to squash that thought down as unrealistic. But she walked to the circle of light surrounding the fire with a bit more lift in her steps.

"Lucy! You came out!" Wyatt scrambled up from a squat folding chair. The chair half folded as he stood up catching on a string dangling from his shorts. Wyatt had reached his hand out in Lucy's direction but pivoted back to disentangle himself.

Lucy took in the scene. A semi-circle of occupied chairs extended around the fire interrupted by a large cooler on a large blanket with several bodies lying or sitting on the hummocked sand. The cooler was half-open, filled with beer cans and ice that glittered with reflected red and golds of the flames. During Wyatt's distraction, Lucy saw a hand wave her over. She moved that direction gratefully. A slim woman with beautiful, large dark eyes greeted her and shooed a fellow in a hoodie with the enigmatic word #clockblockers on it out of a seat next to her.

He stood but said exasperatedly, "Where am I supposed to sit?"

"There's room on the blanket, Rufus. Be nice to the new girl."

He sighed. As Lucy sat down, feeling guilty, the woman stood up and put her hands around Rufus neck, smiling broadly at him and gave him a sound kiss. Rufus returned the kiss and sighed again, this time in contentment. As she sat back down beside Lucy, he mumbled something about just wanting to be with his girlfriend, then turned to Lucy and told her she was welcome to sit down in a tone that convinced her he really meant it. She settled in to let her eyes adjust as he someone made room for him on the blanket.

"Hi, I'm Jiya."

"Jiya? Oh, I heard about you."

"Really? From Wyatt?"

"Yeah, he's the only person I know around here yet." She glanced around the fire. A few people were opening up a package of hot dogs and skewering them on a set of overlong forks. Two girls napped with their arms around each other on the blanket. A trio in peeled back surfing skin suits argued over where they should hit the beach tomorrow. She recognized no one. Her eyes found Wyatt who nodded and waved her way. She smiled back, reassured somehow.

"You really are the new girl, aren't you? You're from north somewhere, right? San Jose or something. Want a beer?"

"San Francisco. Sure." Jiya gestured to her boyfriend who nudged someone beyond the cuddling couple. They grabbed a beer and tossed it across the blanket, vagely in Jiya's way.

Jiya reached for it but deftly grabbed the can from the air. She handed it to Lucy saying, "Here ya go. Watch that!" She spoke too late as Lucy opened the tab and beer gushed out in a foamy guyser. Lucy held the beer out, first trying to sip it but she was not in time to avoid spilling it all over her lap. She pushed it away from herself, only to pour another foaming burst onto the Jiya's shoulder and neck.

Jiya shrieked in laughter, and several others joined in. All eyes were suddenly on their corner of the circle. Lucy stood up, embarrassed. She missed Jiya offering her a towel. Lucy made a somewhat incoherent apology and walked out of the circle, towards the water.

She rolled her eyes at herself. _Stupid, stupid. The first thing you do when you meet anyone is embarrass yourself._ She heard her mother's voice, telling her she need to grow up. She kicked at the hard packed sand beneath her feet. The waves lapped at her. She knelt, splashing the frothy water on her shirt, her senses flooded with the hoppy scent of beer and the taste of salt.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lucy jumped at the voice. Wyatt had followed her, but she hadn't heard his footsteps over the sound of the waves. He made a calming gesture in response to her apparent alarm. "Everything's fine, Lucy. You just shot out of there, I was worried."

He helped her get up. Her middle was sodden now. "Here. Jiya thought you might want this." He handed her a towel. Lucy took it gratefully and rubbed at herself rather ineffectually. The waves rushed at their feet again. Wyatt extended his arm automatically and Lucy found herself leaning into his strength.

_Those muscles are **not** for show,_ she found herself marveling.

"The tide's coming in. I'd better get you back to the fire before you drown yourself." He lead her back to the shifting sands.

Lucy huffed. "I'm not a child, Wyatt."

A pause. "No, of course not. I was just kidding. I was kind of worried though. They would kill me if I let you get hurt before my friends got to meet you properly."

Lucy found herself melting inside at his admission of worry. But she shook off the feeling. She shrugged. "But after they meet me all bets are off? After that introduction, I bet they figure they found their new court jester."

"No way, Lucy. And if they did I'd tell them something."

Lucy's heart fluttered. _Shut up,_ she thought to herself. Luckily they had reached the fire and Lucy was saved from having to respond to that. People had shifted. There was now a knot of people, including Jiya and Rufus, toasting then eating hot dogs with buns. A few were on to marshmallows, and she thought she saw chocolate and graham crackers circulating. The couple on the blanket were feeding each other uncooked marshmallows with desperately cute looks of delight on their faces. Many more chairs were free, including one right next to Wyatt's tiny lawn chair which he gestured her towards. She joined him, settling into a much higher chair. Peering down at him she said, "Who's the child now." He looked up at her eyes widening, so she thought she'd offended him at first, but then a crooked grin lit his face and they laughed quietly together.

"Lucy!" Jiya crossed over to her, a hot dog crossed by lightning bolt squirt of mustard in her hand. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you off."

Lucy denied any such thing, all the while thinking how absolutely scared off she'd been. Like so many other times when she felt she didn't fit in. She was sure they'd all been laughing at her when she left, but Jiya chatted easily with her. As did Rufus who joined them his face sticky with marshmallow and chocolate. They teased him about the offending treat and Lucy started to see that ribbing and verbal darts were just part of these friends' repartee. She started to relax, and she caught Wyatt looking at her with a smile, though he looked away so she couldn't be sure he had been after.

Easing into the friendly joshing, Lucy told them what Wyatt had said about them not forgiving him if she'd gotten hurt. They laughed, and she admitted that she had felt embarrassed.

Jiya was reassuring, "Lucy-you have no reason to feel bad. It was Jo's fault for tossing that can over. Of course it was going to explode all over the place."

Rufus raised the ante, "Besides, you didn't hold a candle to Wyatt's antics, especially where beer is concerned. You've got a lot of catching up to do if you want to really, embarrass yourself." He launched into a story about their senior prom night involving an all night restaurant, far, far to much extremely cheap beer and Wyatt getting himself stuck in the dumpster out back while heaving his guts out. Wyatt tried to head off the story, but Rufus and Jiya were emboldened by other friends who hadn't been there who prompted them to provide some key details about Wyatt's cummerbund and where it ended up in the morning. Wyatt fell silent and seemed to slump into his chair. Lucy laughed along at first, but other comments started painting a picture of Wyatt that was unflattering, worrying even. She looked at him furtively, eyeing the beer can nestled in the cup holder in his chair.

The beach had fallen dark now. Cars moved slowly by, their headlights flickering across the palm trees every now and then. A group of people walked across the sands from the parking lot, talking loudly and laughing. They merged with the Lucy's group and the discussion turned to places to party that night, where the group had come from and where they were planning to "get blasted" later that night.

Lucy's unease which had slipped away briefly, returned in force. Her own drinking was limited to the occasional glass of wine (preferably sparkling) and although she had no trouble with social drinking the hard hitting, blackout inducing abuse of alcohol she'd witnessed in her peers during college had put her off this kind of thing. She no longer was able to contribute to the conversation and felt more and more isolated. She looked for Rufus and Jiya, but they were walking down the beach hand in hand.

Lucy's discomfort reached a fever peak when a very attractive blonde in a tank top plopped herself onto Wyatt's lap. "I hear you've been telling everyone about prom!"

"Oof! Yeah, Jess, it came up-"

She beat a tattoo on his chest, interrupting him. "Those were the good old days. I swore I would never forgive you for ruining my night, but that turned out to be the best story. You were absolutely green when you came out of the dumpster." She guffawed, "Everyone else had such boring nights. And that next day..." She ran her fingers suggestively over his chest now. Lucy could swear Wyatt was squirming in the chair. She looked away. _Ah, he's got a girlfriend. Of course. Someone that gorgeous... _

Miraculously, Rufus and Jiya returned and Lucy moved off to join them. She grabbed a hot dog and a fork, and chatted with the couple. Lucy studiously kept her eyes pointed away from the group surrounding Wyatt but somehow she found herself in possession of the knowledge that Jess ("Oh, you met Jessica, huh? She and Wyatt were hot and heavy in high school. Quite the item," Jiya shared.) had taken the seat Lucy had left empty. She wasn't sure what to feel about that. Pleased that he hadn't kept her on his lap, or sad that he'd not found a way to extricate himself and come back to her.

_Come back to me? When was he with me?_ she thought. Their moments by the water came back to her. _He was just being a good host._

Lucy headed out not long after. She did exchange numbers with Jiya, but she slipped out without saying goodbye to Wyatt. She felt like a coward, but looking back at the circle of faces laughing in shadow and light and she shook her head. Voices shouted out the name of a bar, and she felt right about her choices. She didn't have time for partying and certainly didn't have money to spare getting drunk. She'd been right about him. Nothing to think about.

Surely nothing she should spend several restless hours thinking about. Not the feel of his hand in hers helping her stand in the surf. Certainly not the glimmer of a smile in his eyes, with the firelight reflected. Nothing there at all.

But oh, wouldn't that detail about the cummerbund be nice in that bit of the story..


	4. Chapter 4

Her mother had called Lucy so many times, but she never picked up. She wasn't sure why she answered this morning, but her aching feet and grumbling, empty stomach might have had something to do with it. Lucy leaned back on her narrow bed. She heard a door open and close in the apartment beyond. Her housemate was home.

"Lucy!?" Carol's voice was full of surprise that warmed to affection. "Is it you?"

"Yes." Mentally calculating how to get off the call now that she was on it, Lucy's tone was brutally clipped.

"So you are okay! I've been worried about you."

"I sent you an email."

"One message! _'Mom I'm fine. Living with a friend. Be well,'_ is not my idea of an update on how you are doing. Who is this person? What are you doing for money? Are you thinking about enrolling in classes there?"

_Why the hell did I answer, _Lucy was thinking, aggravated. "No classes mom. I'm writing, remember?"

"Really, Lucy? That's hardly a way to make a living. Are you couch surfing or something?"

"I found a roommate through Craigs list. He's a good guy-"

Carol's voice jumped a decibel, "What?! You're living with a strange man? Who is he? What is his name?"

"Why, so you can check on him?"

"Maybe."

Lucy was yelling now, too. "Mom! Get out of my life! You wonder why I don't call you. This is why! I'm here starving and all you can do is undermine my decisions and denigrate my life choices!"

Swift footsteps sped to her closed door. A knock. "Lucy, are you okay?"

"Hold on," she told her mom. She stepped to the door and opened it. Wyatt was half-naked. His wet hair was tousled and dripped onto the towel draped carelessly around his neck. Another towel rested gingerly on his hips, which Lucy snapped her eyes up from. She felt her cheeks warm. She had seen him in swim trucks several times heading out to the beach by now, but the intimacy of this near reveal undid her self-possession. Since the night of the beach party she'd given him an even wider berth than before. She thought to herself, _He's taken. Get yourself together. _

"I'm fine. It's just my mother. Go get dressed or something."

On the line, her mother's voice blared suddenly, "Go get dressed?! Lucy what is going on there? If you need money, I can send you some, honey. You don't have to-"

Lucy's cheeks were now burning. She punched the red button on her screen, cutting off her mother's voice.

"Sorry, Lucy. But are you okay?" Wyatt looked embarrassed and put a hand to the corner of the towel that masked far too little for Lucy's composure.

Lucy tried to look anywhere but at the gorgeous spectacle before her. Her eyes landed on his baby blues and clung there for dear life. Her voice was husky at first.

"Thanks, but it's not..." She cleared her voice. Shook her head to clear it. "Not your concern."

She closed the door in his face, not sure what was harder to take: the tempting tableau of his unclad limbs, or the compassion she clearly saw in his eyes. Her phone rang again. Lucy lay face down on the bed ignoring the screen flashing "Carol Preston." Her stomach grumbled. Sitting up she fumbled a cough drop out of its package and sucked on it, hoping it would relieve her hunger pangs. To distract herself, she opened her laptop and started writing.

_"She opened the door and found him standing there in next to nothing. She pulled his bare chest close to hers and opened her mouth slightly for the first of many passionate kisses they would share that night and into the next morning..."_

* * *

Lucy was bone tired. After haunting publishing houses and what remained of the newspaper publishers in her area, she had finally given in and applied for a position at the Starbucks. As it turned out, they offered health insurance and an almost livable wage.

Lucy thought she would cry the day she got her first paycheck. Wyatt had offered to front her the money for groceries that week, but she'd refused. She lived on double mocha lattes (which she could get at cost from work) and instant Ramen until she got paid. Very conveniently, Wyatt had a lot of "extra pizza" that week, which he left in the refrigerator for her. Lucy was hesitant but at his insistence she ate it gratefully. Finally she was able to refresh her parched checking account. Lucy splurged on Chinese food take out that night.

She left an envelope of money out for Wyatt, labeled "pizza money." He came to her door the next day, envelope in hand. She sat on her bed idly drawing. She hurriedly flipped her pad over when she saw him.

Wyatt said, "Lucy, this is not necessary. It was just pizza." He held the envelope out to her.

She made no motion to accept it. "I'm just paying my share, Wyatt."

He looked at her consideringly. He tapped the envelope with his other hand. "It was just a few extra slices. It's no trouble, Professor."

Something in Lucy warmed at the nickname he gave her, but what came out of her in response was instead irritation and defensiveness, "I am not a professor, thank you very much. And I don't like to be in debt." She stood up and walked over to him. "Keep the money and let me alone." She prodded his chest, setting off new alarm bells in her head as a stronger feeling of warmth invaded her body when she touched him. She swallowed and said tersely. "Thank you and hope you have a good day." Her tone was clear, the conversation was over.

He inclined his head. "Sure thing, ma'am. Sorry to disturb you." He closed the door behind him.

A few moments later she heard his the door close and his motorcycle start up down in the street. Lucy turned her notebook over and ran her fingers over the drawing she'd made. His profile on the page, though small, was clear.


	5. Chapter 5

Wyatt began working long hours. She'd barely seen him for days given her new schedule. It was a bit of a relief at first. She was trying to keep her distance and their schedules helped put that tension to rest. But after a few days she found she missed his annoying hogging of the bathroom in the morning. It had been days since she had been surprised by a glimpse of his abs as he headed out-bare chested-with friends to catch good surf. She found herself listening for him to come home at night. But when she did finally see him, it was to find him working on a portion of a car engine in their living room. The black dirty thing was propped up against the wall, and a sheet had been laid out on the coffee table in between the couch and the overstuffed chair by the television. A very greasy looking Wyatt sat in the chair and his tools were spread out across the couch.

She had been on her feet for eight hours at the cafe, but now she had no where to sit. She just snapped.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Wyatt's smile of welcome turned suddenly into a glower, "You said I could do some work here."

"I didn't mean in the house! That stuff is filthy!" Lucy tugged her shoes off and pulled the coffee soaked shirt she was wearing out of the waist band of her black pants.

Wyatt growled, "Does it look like we have a garage?"

Lucy shifted from one aching foot to the other."What about the back yard?"

Wyatt rolled his eyes. He gestured with a silver wrench,"You work in the house all the time."

"Yeah, on my computer!"

"All right. I've had enough of this."

Wyatt picked up the carburetor and started picking up the corners of the sheet he was working on, to gather up all the tiny pieces strewn around. "Fine, I'll do this in my room then. I can't risk losing pieces on the ground outside. But I'll take this grubby stuff out of your view, Princess."

Lucy sagged against the couch side. With the relief to her limbs, her head started to clear and she felt guilt nip at her. She reached out to help him gather up a corner of the sheet. Wyatt gave her a glare and yanked the corner away. "Thanks but no thanks for the help-" but his gesture was too fierce. He threw the bundle off balance and found himself losing his grip on the awkward bundle. Bolts and small bits of metal landed everywhere on the living room floor.

A great weight of embarrassment descended on Lucy. She apologized, crawling on her hands and knees to start picking up the pieces.

Wyatt sat still, overwhelmed and still fuming, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Lucy hands him a bolt, "Let me help you."

"I think I've had enough of your help for one night," he said angrily, but his words turn into a yawn as he says "night." He sighs, and his shoulders slump with tiredness. His eyes have dark rings around them as from weariness and strain. He shook his head and started laboriously hunting down pieces of the carburetor.

Quietly, Lucy said, "Wyatt."

"What?" He got down on his hands and knees, picking up screws one by one. A couple slipped from his hand and he bent down to look for them grumbling quietly under his breath. Lucy looked around and took a few steps into the kitchen. She came back with a cup.

"Here. Give them to me."

Begrudgingly, Wyatt handed over the precious bolts he'd found. He scanned the floor, probing beneath the couch with is hand and handed them one by one to Lucy. She sat cross legged on the floor picks up bits of metal sheeting with her other hand. They worked in silence.

After a few quiet moments, Wyatt said, "You know, I can hold a cup."

Lucy waved her free hand, "Hey, I just want to help."

Wyatt took a breath and Lucy braced herself for an angry speech when he stopped suddenly and looked at her face closely. The angry expression dropped from his eyes and a grin began to spread across his face.

Mystified but relieved, Lucy said, "What?"

"Um, you've, uh, got something there." He reached out his hand towards her face very slowly. Lucy narrowed her eyes but nodded slightly to give him permission to proceed. He wiped with his thumb at something on her chin. Lucy looked down and realized that her hands were covered with engine grease from the parts she'd been picking up.

Wyatt squinted at the work he'd done and grimaced. He pulled himself closer to her and pulled up a corner of his shirt. He used it to wipe Lucy's face, anchoring her head with his other hand. His body was very warm next to hers. His fingers were firm but gentle on her face.

Her heart started beating faster.

Wyatt paused. "Um, I'm afraid I may be making this worse." He looked in her eyes. His face was very close to hers.

"I'll be right back." Lucy jumped up, scattering the parts from her lap. Wyatt caught the cup she dropped. She raced for the bathroom and leaned against the door after she closed it behind her.

Looking in the mirror, she saw the smear of black grease covering her cheek and chin. The dark color was smudged and much less than it must have been before Wyatt's ministrations, but her face glowed with embarrassment.

_"Nice going, nerd."_ Lucy whispered to herself. She ratcheted the sink water to hot and scrubbed at her face with soap and the near scalding water. A few minutes later she emerged from the room, pinkfaced for more than one reason.

Wyatt was still where she had left him. She waved to him but started picking up pieces that had rolled across the room.

He gave a small grin and waved back. He felt disappointed that she kept her distance. Intensely. Unexpectedly.

_"Get a grip,"_ he thought to himself. "_She's made how she feels crystal clear. __You're roommates and she deserves way better than you."_


	6. Chapter 6

Long hours turned into seeming endless shifts. Lucy was starting to seriously worry about her housemate.

Wyatt was working two jobs, one of which was at a garage that specialized in being available at all hours. Hence the serious sleep deficit. He kept saying he was going to quit one or the other job one of these days, but the money was just too good.

His other job was with a program that a local youth center had to help connect teens, especially ones who were at-risk or who had some misbehavior in their past, with a professional who could share some practical skills. Wyatt worked it out with his boss at the garage to use the facilities during low traffic periods to teach the kids. There was a vintage race car from the 50s that Wyatt had bought and was carefully re-conditioning. It needed help from top to bottom so it was a great vehicle to teach the kids the basics in all kinds of repair.

Lucy teased him that he was getting soft hanging out with kids.

"Are you kidding? If these kids are anything like I was at that age, I'm gonna need to toughen up to keep up with them. I'm lucky half of them think garage work is a good way to get techniques for boosting a car. I'm just hoping they'll learn enough to have something to fall back on other than that, like I was lucky enough to do."

Despite telling herself it was ridiculous and foolish, Lucy found herself missing Wyatt as he worked these long hours. On the spur of the moment, she grabbed a chocolate croissant and cup of coffee one lunchtime and showed up at his garage to surprise him.

Wyatt wheeled himself out from under a car and gave her a blinding smile. It lit up his grease-smeared face like a shaft of sunlight breaking through clouds. Pulling a grimy glove off his hand, he'd rested his clean, calloused fingers on her forearm, emphasizing his gratitude as he thanked her. Lying in bed that night, Lucy tamped down the memory of the warm feeling that had blossomed in her stomach at his smile. She tried to forget the heat that had spread up her arm from his gentle touch.

Later that week she came back with a day-old pastry and an iced drink. She told herself she felt sorry for him. It was the hungry way he wolfed down the croissant that she tried to dwell on, not the promise of seeing gratitude in those sky blue eyes again. Or any other kind of hunger. _I'm a terrible liar, even to myself._

It took months for it to dawn on her that the long hours he worked were all about her.

Looking back, the clues were all there. For a few months running she'd been short on rent. But each time Wyatt greeted the pile of wadded cash, rolled quarters and nickels she lumped over with a friendly smile and assurances that the landlord would understand. After an initial conversation about utilities she had never seen or heard more about how much her share was. It took picking up the mail on a day Wyatt worked a triple shift—day job, followed by ed center, followed by third shift at the garage—and Lucy inadvertantly intercepting a stack of bills, for her to realize that Wyatt was sheltering her from the real costs of their apartment.

Lucy's emotions ranged wildly. She was choked with embarrassment as she read the utility history. As she added these amounts to the running total she'd kept of her short falls, her mind went blank with fear about how she could possibly pay this back on her slim paycheck and scant tips. She flushed scarlet as she realized that he'd told her that "something had worked out" to reduce her share of the rent several months back. It was that very month that he'd picked up the second job. Her heart fluttered for several long moments when she wondered if he was doing all this because he cared about her. Several looks he had given her flashed before her mind's eye. The way he'd taken her hand in both of his the first night she couldn't pay all her rent, and promised her it would be all right.

Then an icy chill went through her as another possibility occurred. _Maybe he's taking money from Mom?_ He was a stranger. How could he possibly be working to pay for her way? That was impossible. She couldn't conceive of a stranger making this kind of sacrifice for her. It must be her mother. It absolutely must be.

She lay on the bed tossing and turning. Going over in her mind how her mother could have found out where Lucy was. How she could have gotten to Wyatt without her daughter knowing. Lucy had worked so hard for her independence, as shaky as it still was. Carol was going to take this away, too now? The long night a waste, she got up early to confront Wyatt about it all.

At 5am, Wyatt shuffled in the door. Yawning, he tried without much success to close the door quietly behind him. Lucy watched him from the couch in the living room. She was wrung out from wonder and worry. She watched him stagger with tiredness and her resolve to get things out in the open right now began to weaken. But then he caught sight of her.

"Lucy? What are you doing up?" He could barely stand, but she saw him try to shake it off and worry crossed his brow. "Is everything all right?"

She stood and moved closer to him. She lifted the stack of bills to where he could see them. The local utility company's logo emblazoned across an opened envelope. "I need to ask you about this."

Wyatt's alarmed look resolved into a more guarded expression. "And how did you get those?" He rubbed his eyes with one hand and gave her a fatigue-bleary version of his cocky grin. "You do know it's a federal crime to tamper with the mail, right?"

She'd been wavering. Not quite sure how to approach things. But his quip tipped her from embarrassment and insecurity right into fury. "Wyatt, what the hell is going on?! You told me we'd gotten a break on the rent. But here I find that you've been paying all the bills for months? When were you going to tell me?" She stalked over to him. The dark shadows under his eyes fed the guilt that had been eating her all night. In the backwards mood she'd slipped into, this made her all the more angry at him. Tapping his chest with the papers, she went on. "When did she talk to you? How did she know how to contact you? How much do I owe her now?"

Wyatt's heart-melting smile disappeared, replaced with utter confusion. Irrationally, this made Lucy angrier.

"Don't deny it!" Lucy's voice shook and she felt her tenuous grip on her emotions take another wide gyre out of her conscious control. "It's just like her, trying to control my life! How could you?" She waved the bills under his nose.

Wyatt put up his hands. "Lucy, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"My mother," Lucy spat out. "She's been sending you money hasn't she? For me?"

A look of understanding washed over Wyatt's features. He shook his head slightly, then lowered one of his hands to intercept Lucy's. His warm, strong hand gently encircled her wrist. He plucked the bills out of her hand. "No. I've never spoken to your mother. Ever."

Lucy's heart was racing. The warmth of his hand on her skin was grounding, but her emotions were far beyond being soothed. Shee shook her head in disbelief. He saw the fear in her eyes. Wyatt released her wrist, and placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"Honestly, Lucy. I know. I'm a huge idiot. I should have told you the truth."

She nodded to him, bracing herself for it. Trying so hard to ignore the heat of his hand.

Wyatt went on, "But you were so adamant about little things like pizza and take out. I knew you were having a hard time and I just couldn't figure out how to convince you that I really wanted to help." He place the back of his other hand on her other shoulder and looked straight into her eyes. "I know what it's like to not have enough to make ends meet. But I knew you didn't want help from me."

"So you called my mom?" Lucy held stubbornly to the scenario her imagination had painted for her.

He rolled his eyes. "No! I swear, I've never met your mother, or talked to her, or anything. I know you're..trying to get away from her for some reason." He tightened his hands on her shoulders and looked squarely into her eyes. "I get that. Really. I just wanted to help."

Lucy looked back at Wyatt. She thought about what she'd said, the panicked thoughts that had hounded her through the night. And felt the desperate weariness she'd been holding off with anger sweep through her. _What am I saying? _She put a hand to her forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Wyatt. I don't know what I was thinking." She gave a deep sigh and suddenly felt unsteady on her feet. She felt Wyatt's hands steering her back to the couch.

Sitting beside her, he said quietly. "Don't worry about it."

Lucy covered her face with shaking hands. The feelings of fear and anger slipped away and the undertow of emotion left her feeling drained and embarrassed. When she put her hands down, she looked at him nervously, expecting anger, frustration, impatience. He looked back at her with a sympathetic smile, and sleepy eyes.

"Wyatt, you should get to sleep."

He shrugged. A gleam entered his eyes. "Seems like I'll miss the house meeting if I do."

Lucy smiled. "What say we table this. Go to bed, Wyatt."

"Yes, ma'am."


	7. Chapter 7

A new bond grew between Lucy and Wyatt. They each acknowledged that they wanted to help the other get by. And began in earnest accepting the help the other offered. Lucy took every shift she could and put in for food, rent and utilities. They pooled their money and did their laundry together, taking turns bringing it to the coin operated laundromat in their neighborhood. Lucy got enjoyment out of folding her clothes with Wyatt's. And she appreciated the care he took with hers.

They fell into a bit of a rhythm. When she could, Lucy took a break midday and brought some food to Wyatt. Wyatt did the grocery shopping on his way home at an all hours grocery store and remembered to bring home Lucy's favorite brand of almond milk. They spent a couple overlapping free hours on the weekends together, rolling up Lucy's change from tips. Lucy learned after a bit that her bank would take the mixed coins. They have a large, noisy machine that does the tedious work for you. But she savored that precious time joking and working side by side with Wyatt so she just got more coin wrappers and conveniently never brought that up.

With time and diligence, Lucy finally got caught up on her debt. She breathed a deep sigh of relief the day she was finally able to hand Wyatt the check for a full month's rent plus utilities and write in her ledger, "Balance, nil." He gave her one of those electrifying smiles as wide as the sunrise, and raised his hands. There was a moment where she wondered if she was going to get a hug from Wyatt, but then the moment was gone and she answered his upraised palms with a friendly double high-five.

* * *

Lucy was determined to keep up with her bills and make some headway on her finances. Following up on a suggestion by Jiya, Lucy started putting fliers up at the University offering her editing skills to students. The rush of people around her as she tacked a brightly colored sheet of paper up on a bulletin board near the campus center brought her back to her college days. They seemed so young. How could that be when she'd just been one of them scant months before.

She trudged across the large campus, hunting down English and History department lounges. She asked directions from a glassy-eyed, pajama-clad student clutching a rainbow colored coffee cup that proudly declaimed the letters "ENBY." They gave Lucy side eye until she fully explained her mission. Then they grabbed a tab from the flier for themself and a friend. They took the time to inform Lucy about several online discussion boards maintained by the information technologies support staff, and an interdepartmental Slack channel that students used to organize study groups. They even pointed Lucy towards the grad student liaison's office to get better information about reaching that group of potential clientele. Lucy shook the student's hand and exchanged information with her new friend, offering to provide free editing passes for the duration of their time in the college in exchange for this treasure trove of marketing intelligence.

The morning after her productive trip to campus, Lucy dragged herself out of bed at 5am. Her shift would open and clean the cafe. Groggily wiping her eyes and gathering her keys, she found Wyatt fallen asleep on their couch. He'd clearly come in at a ridiculous hour and lost momentum before he hit his own bed. Sitting on the coffee table was a stack of her fliers with one set down askew as though he'd been reading it. Lucy knew she had to get going, but she lingered over her misplaced housemate. The slow growing light of day just began to light his golden skin. She could see a days growth of beard on his chin and her fingers itched to feel the soft whiskers. He had one leg flung carelessly over an arm of the sofa, the other bent over the edge, sole touching the floor. She couldn't leave him like this.

She grabbed the throw blanket they kept in the living room and gently laid it over him. He shifted slightly but didn't wake, if anything settling more deeply into sleep a slight smile curving the corner of his mouth. _It should be illegal how beautiful he is,_ Lucy found herself thinking. She went to creep away, but his booted feet sticking out from beneath the blanket caught her eye again and a new compulsion gripped her. Without a second thought she pulled the bootlace untied and tugged solidly on the foot at hip level. It gave, and she thought she saw another level of tension leave his body. _In for a penny... _She held her breath and reached down to untie the booted foot on the ground. She shook her head in disbelief as she put her hands around his ankle and lifted to make room to remove the boot._ He's surely going to wake now. What on earth am I doing? _

The boot came off smoothly, and she let his foot down slowly. Her hand lingered a hair's breadth longer than necessary on his calf. He made a half moaning sound and she leapt back away from him trying to decide whether to flee or be still. Her body chose freezing in place, taking no suggestions from her racing mind, but it all was for naught. Wyatt's eyes stayed closed. He curled his back and rolled over, tucking his legs together between his body and the back of the sofa. The t-shirt he had fallen to sleep in hiked up showing a strip of his back, and Lucy noticed that he was wearing his thick leather belt. A heated fantasy bloomed in her mind. Of taking that off him somehow. Winding her arms around his middle, loosening up the tongue of the belt. His eyes lazily blinking open but instead of startling at her proximity she imagined his strong arms coming around her. Those blue eyes focusing on her. Her hand coming up to stroke that stubbly growth on his...

"Hey Lucy.." A hoarse voice broke in on her reverie. "Early, huh?" Wyatt croaked at her. He looked around confusedly and stretched his arms out, nearly shoving himself off the couch by accident.

"Wyatt! Careful. I'm just leaving. I didn't mean to wake you." Lucy flushed scarlet, grateful for the darkness to hide how far gone her thoughts had raced over her housemate in such a vulnerable state.

He responded unintelligibly, trying to push himself up, "(mumble mumble) my room. Sorry, Luce." He stumbled on the coffee table, knocking several fliers onto the floor. "Darnit. Didn't mean to crowd you."

Lucy was torn between trying to help and trying to escape. She took the cowards way out and headed to the door, flinging a comment back in his direction but trying to tear her eyes away from the soft, sleepy mess he presented as he shook his head and tried to clean up the mess of paper he'd made. "Leave it, Wyatt. Just get some rest!" Lucy spent that morning trying hard to keep her mind from following him into his room, but the thought of tucking him in and maybe getting a reward for her trouble clung to her. Out of desperate self defense she used her break that morning to scribble down notes for a chapter where her heroine, Ivy, helps Liam into bed and they enjoy themselves in ways Lucy could barely believe she was imagining much less writing down.

The coffee table figured prominently in a long, sensuous detour that Lucy was forced to rudely interrupt due to work. But details flowed through her mind as she poured coffee and plated brownies. Her fingers itched again, this time for her pencil or laptop keys, and after her shift ended, she pulled out loose pages and gave herself over to a narrative that brought a flush to her cheeks. Being at the cafe gave her license to dream things that even being alone in her room hadn't afforded her. And there were warm feelings stirring in her that needed expression. She'd been fostering them since learning about Wyatt's secret campaign to subsidize her. A small voice whispered in her mind that she was opening Pandora's box by letting this hot and tender stream of consciousness flow, but she couldn't contain it any longer.

When she went home that night, Lucy found her formerly scattered fliers had been placed in a neat pile on the coffee table. She blushed a little again as she picked them up and stowed them safely away. She would never look at that table the same way. She took some time to organize her notes and read through what she'd written that evening. It sparked new directions for her novel. Twining the lives of these two characters together in ways she'd had vague notions of but which hadn't crystallized before now. Wyatt knocked on her door late in the evening, and she answered him enthusiastically but in the negative about joining him for a quick bite.

"I think I had a break through, Wyatt!" She beamed at him. Her embarrassment disappearing in favor of excitement. But the enormous smile he gave her in return did things to her stomach that she tried hard to ignore. She saw his arms lift. This time it was for a hug, which she found herself embracing wholeheartedly. Her chin rested on his shoulder for long moments, his heartbeat filled her ears. Then he broke it off and stepped back, looking uncomfortable.

"Well, okay. I'll just leave you to it then. Congrats, Lucy."

She nodded despite not really understanding his feelings, but returned gratefully to her writing. The warm buzz caused by having his arms around her just lifted her already bouyed spirits higher. It took until she fell into bed, drained and exhausted from her mental labor of the day, to begin to wonder what he had been feeling as he stepped away. _Maybe he didn't want me to get the wrong idea? _The bloom came off the blush of excitement that had been flowering in her all day.

She lectured herself as she fell asleep, _You know this is all just a story you're writing, right?_


	8. Chapter 8

Since Lucy's financial crisis had finally broken, she and Wyatt were able to relax and cut back on their work shifts. They even ended up spending some free time together. Rufus and Jiya would call them up to go out for a dinner or movie with Lucy and Wyatt now and then. Wyatt was warm, supportive and always seemed eager to enjoy a night out. But he never initiated anything like that with Lucy on his own. She even felt like he put some distance between them, letting Lucy sit by Jiya in the theater. He was scrupulous not to try to pay for Lucy's share of their food at dinner. Thoughts of his smile, and of him touching her crept into her sleepy mind late at night, but they just seemed embarrassing and foolish in the morning light. She put them firmly out of her mind and focused on her editing, cafe shifts and most especially her writing. She started a little fund to save for a place of her own, in time.

Lucy finally felt like she was making headway in her new life. Not only was was she paid up on her bills, but she had a new stream of income from the editing jobs she was taking now. Her novel was taking shape, and she was able to continue honing her writing skills working with the University students she helped. Researching the wide variety of topics they tackled was invigorating to her intellectually. She and Wyatt had worked out their differences, and had a cordial supportive relationship as housemates.

This last development should have made her happy. Her paranoid fears that he was an agent of her mother were unfounded. She now was on even footing with him in terms of finances, and although she met many more people through him she was even gaining friendships independently. He was friendly and polite with her, and never made her feel uncomfortable or like he wanted anything more than friendship.

He was being the perfect gentleman and an amazing friend. Why then did her heart feel so tender and sad?

She reassured herself with the truth. Their backgrounds were so different. Even though she had rejected her mother's vision for her, she couldn't imagine herself in the life Wyatt seemed to enjoy: working long hours at a dead end job, drinking through the weekend with friends. Plus, he was the single most beautiful person she'd ever had the privilege to be close to. He was surrounded by some of the most attractive people she'd ever seen, on display at their best on the beach. There was no way her drab, geeky looks could ever compete with any of that.

Even his financial support of her could be explained away. Wyatt was a giving person. He volunteered his time to give younger people who needed help useful skills and a trade. She heard him talking with their parents on the phone and he told her that he'd gotten more involved with the program itself. Wyatt had probably seen her as another stray in need of a helping hand. She couldn't take it personally.

And to top it all off, Lucy felt as though she was taking advantage of Wyatt. Her writing had turned into a very steamy novel. And it had come about in large part with him as inspiration. At first, pushed by the need to sublimate her feelings of attraction into some kind of creative outlet she had poured out the words onto the page unselfconsciously. But as she continued, and the character on the page developed, she realized the ethical bind she had put herself into. She had no right to steal Wyatt's life for her fiction. She worked hard to distinguish the two, digging deep into the background and motivations of her character Liam to put him on his own path in the world. But when she imagined him, she still saw Wyatt. And as she wrote about Ivy, the woman Liam eventually came to love, she couldn't help but see herself there.

* * *

Every so often, Wyatt hosted his friends up at their place. Lucy enjoyed the time with these people better..and worse now that she had gotten to know them. She loved Jiya and Rufus, of course. They often visited her at the cafe. Lucy had begun to rely on the friendship of the warm and affectionate couple. They got along so well. She envied them their happiness. She hoped someday she could find someone to love and trust like they did each other. When her traitorous mind popped up with visions of blue eyes and warm smiles, she squashed those thoughts down firmly.

Some of Wyatt's other friends, Jessica in particular, Lucy felt very uncomfortable around. She was sure that Jess had it in for her. Unlike other friends, Wyatt never had her over alone. But whenever there was a social occasion that involved more friends, Jessica was sure to be there and to get super clingy. Lucy started to notice a correlation between the number of drinks in Jessica and the amount of pawing Wyatt had to endure.

That was what it looked like, too. Lucy was sure he didn't like the attentions. But maybe that was just her wishful thinking?

On one particular night, Rufus and Jiya came in together long after they'd been expected by the group. Lucy immediately knew something was up. Jiya had a barely contained look of glee on her face, and Rufus looked hugely smug. When Jiya flashed her hand with a dazzling rock on it and squealed that she'd agreed to marry Rufus, Lucy was not even surprised. She launched herself into her friend's arms, practically dancing up and down with delight. When Wyatt released Rufus from the bear hug he'd given him, Lucy threw an arm around Rufus, and started peppering him with questions about details. _How did he ask? Where were they? What did she say?_

The party really picked up at that point. Someone started calling for champagne so a group headed down to the liquor store. Jessica and her coterie started texting everyone they knew, that Rufus and Jiya were engaged, telling them to come over. Wyatt caught Lucy's eye and looked a question at her. It looked like this was going to turn from a small gathering into a giant party. She glanced at the happy couple. They were surrounded by friends and beaming. Lucy put a game look on her face and nodded agreement. Wyatt looked relieved and told her he was going to run out for more booze and ice. When he left, Jessica followed along. Lucy thought the other woman might have tossed a glare her way on the way out the door. Lucy shrugged and started looking around for extra chairs and stools for people to sit on. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The little apartment became filled to the gills with people. Wyatt opened up his bedroom and Jessica and her friends took up residence on his bed. _Classy,_ Lucy thought. Wyatt staunchly defended the sanctity of Lucy's room until the press got so bad people were sitting on the fire escape and Lucy herself opened up her room for guests. But first, she quickly straightened up her room, carefully hiding the many pages of her manuscript.

Rufus and Jiya were moving through the space, taking selfies with everyone there in small groups or individually. They had realized that other than their parents (who already knew about the couple's plans), basically all their friends were there, so the party had officially been dubbed their engagement party. Lucy stuck close to Rufus and Jiya, knowing many more people than she had when she arrived, but still all at sea with many of these strange faces.

She felt more isolated as the night went on and the people got more drunk, the voices getting louder. Watching Rufus and Jiya awkwardly holding the phone taking pictures of themselves with friends, Lucy offered to be their photographer. They gratefully accepted and Lucy suddenly felt more at ease. She ignored the noise and her lack of place in this community, and helped her new dear friends get good shots with all their buddies. They turned a corner into Wyatt's room and found Jessica still there along with many other people squeezed tight, and Wyatt. He was sitting near Jessica, his hand on her shoulder. When Jessica saw what was going on she cheered and hoisted her glass, sloshing some of the liquid onto Wyatt's bed. He rolled his eyes and took the glass out of her hand. Jessica ignored him and grabbed Rufus and Jiya, pulling them onto the bed. All the people in the room crowded around trying to fit themselves on the bed with the happy couple for a photo, while trying to avoid the sticky wet spot Jessica had made.

Jessica motioned to Lucy to take the picture and seemed to take in who Lucy was at that moment. If Lucy had thought vaguely that Jessica didn't like her before, certainty gripped her right then and there. The look of unmitigated annoyance and gall that Jessica threw at Lucy was unmistakable. _What did I do to her? _Lucy was shaken, but she continued on, protected from having to interact with the extremely drunk, unfriendly woman by her role as photographer. Lucy gamely got everyone to pay attention to her by making silly faces and getting them all to say "cheese", which they did half-heartedly with few smiles. Then she had an idea and had them say "Tequila!" which they did with laughter and smiles, at the top of their lungs. Photo taken, the group broke into cheerful conversation and surged off the bed, with many hands happily slapping and hugging Rufus and Jiya.

Lucy sighed with relief to be out of Jessica's focus and made her way out of Wyatt's room trying to wade awkwardly through the crowd. She couldn't help but spare a glance around as she did so. She hadn't been in his room..ever she realized. It was sparsely decorated. With a couple pictures of what Lucy guessed was Wyatt's mother, and grandparents. _No Dad? _Lucy wondered as she escaped.

Or thought she had made her escape. She felt a hand on her arm. She looked up ready to defend herself from a drunk guest getting too friendly, when she saw with surprise and relief that it was just Wyatt.

"Hey," he said, "I bet there's no picture of you with Rufus and Jiya yet. Right?" Lucy nodded, realizing it was true. Lucy braced herself for being dragged back into the teeming room, dreading having to face Jessica again. But Wyatt made no motion to take them inside. He had let go of her arm immediately, but the feel of his hand on her skin lingered. He still held the glass that he'd taken from Jessica. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, then he gestured her over to a corner between the door to his room and a book case that happened to be free.

"Let's wait for them to come out here." They positioned themselves there. Wyatt set the glass down on one of the shelves and looked at Lucy.

"I'm so sorry this got out of hand."

"It's no trouble, everyone is just so excited for them. I may head out for a while though. It is a bit much for me." Wyatt shook his head.

"Lucy, you're being such a good sport about this. I realize you don't know a lot of these people, and it's your home too. You don't have to leave, I'll get everyone out of here." He started looking around as if starting to strategize about where to start in the eviction process.

"No!" Lucy panicked, "That will get everyone upset. And I'm already not liked in some quarters, I don't want to think about what would be said if it came out that I got everyone kicked out of Rufus and Jiya's engagement party."

Wyatt's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Jessica, right?" Lucy made a face as if to deny it, but Wyatt crooked his mouth skeptically, and she relented, nodding. "That woman thinks she owns me, since we dated in high school." Lucy looked embarrassed and Wyatt shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Lucy. You're getting caught in my ridiculous life. You don't deserve that." He gestured around at the raucous crowd, "There's a lot of my past that I'm not sure fits for me any more, but I don't really know how to leave it behind." The sincerity and concern on his face were a bit too much for Lucy to take. She looked over towards the door and was relieved to see that people had started to leave Wyatt's room. Jessica came out and Wyatt stepped back out of her view. After she disappeared into the crowd, Wyatt clucked his tongue against his teeth and repeated his apology.

Lucy shook her head and shrugged. "I just don't get why she seems to not like me. I've done nothing to her. I think we've barely spoken twice." A strange look came over Wyatt's face, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but they were distracted by the sounds of Rufus and Jiya's voices. Lucy called to them and asked for their picture. The moment with Wyatt was broken. She put her arms around each of them, handing the phone to Wyatt. He dutifully took a couple of pictures, and then he put his arm around Jiya and Lucy from the side, holding the camera up to get all of them together. Wyatt's hand landed on Lucy's hip. She froze, breathlessly distracted by the feel of his hand on her, realizing that she would like nothing better than to take his hand and pull him out of the party. She wanted her home and her Wyatt back to herself, alone.

_My Wyatt? What am I thinking? _The feel of his hand on her hip burned. She longed to look over at him, but stared at the camera terrified what he might read in her eyes if she did. Lucy realized she had to get some space.

When the photo was taken, Lucy thanked Wyatt, got the phone back to Rufus, and hugged the couple. She made her excuses and made an escape. Giving the briefest of smiles to Wyatt when he protested, she skedaddled. As she left she she heard Jessica say, "There you are!" and drape herself around Wyatt. Lucy felt a twinge of guilt leaving him to her after what he'd said. But it was all too much for her to process, and she was definitely done with being in such a big group of strangers.

Ironically, as she headed down the stairs, she joined a small group of people she had met at their housewarming party who greeted her enthusiastically. She had planned to head back to the cafe to read and take notes for her book (as she suddenly had some great details to add to a couple of the scenes she'd been working on). They invited her to go to the beach with them. After hesitating a moment, Lucy accepted gratefully. _Maybe I do belong here? At least with some people. _


	9. Chapter 9

Despite the fact that Rufus and Jiya's imprompto engagement party at the apartment she shared with Wyatt had exiled her from her own home for the night, Lucy found she truly enjoyed the rest of the evening. She got to know the couple, Dakota and Lily, and several other of Wyatt's avid surfing buddies. They took Lucy out to an amazing spot where you could sit on the rocks and listen to the surf howl. A moon rose and they chatted about the area. Several people asked her about San Francisco and she told them about her life there. Lily asked her about her book.

"How did you know about that?"

"Wyatt said you were a writer. Told us you were working on a novel."

Lucy tried to tell them as much, and as little, about the book as she could, flustered that Wyatt was talking to his friends about her.

She asked them about surfing and she was treated to stories from each of them about how they'd gotten into the sport. Lily didn't volunteer the information, but the others got her to tell Lucy about the competitions she'd been involved in. The writer hung on the slight woman's description of surviving a ride on a forty-foot wave in Waimea Bay on Oahu's North Shore. Dakota gripped her girlfriend's arm at this story and Lily gave her a kiss, promising quietly that she'd never be foolish enough to try that again.

Someone broke out a joint and they passed it around. Lucy stiffened wondering if this was where things would get awkward. Where she would stick out and be rejected for not imbibing. But when it came her way, she smiled and shook her head and it got passed to the next person in the circle. No judgments, no big deal. Lucy sighed with relief, and answered a question someone had asked her about how LA beaches compared with San Francisco's.

She got sleepy long before the others did. Yawning, she gave her good-nights and headed back to the apartment, hoping vainly that the party might have broken up. Or at least moved out of her room. Dakota surprised her by giving her a hug as she left, and mystifying Lucy by saying "You're good for him, you know." She was too unnerved to ask what the younger girl meant.

She walked back alone, enjoying the beauty of the night. She hummed a little tune thinking about what she'd learned about the others. Feeling a bit hopeful that perhaps they weren't just Wyatt's friends but hers, too. Maybe.

When she arrived back at the apartment, she was overjoyed to see that a lot of the cars that had been parked out in front were gone. There were still voices spilling into the night, but many fewer. _At least I can get to sleep._ She entered as a group left. She waved to Jiya who was among them. After they were gone, she stepped right into her room, not doing more than scanning what she could see of the apartment to see how full it remained. The place was mostly empty. The door to Wyatt's room was closed, and there seemed to be people sitting in their living room area (it was all really just one big room) but that was it.

Lucy got changed and slid into bed, grateful for an end to the evening.

She woke some time later. She had to pee. She still heard voices from the living room. Peering at the clock, it read 2am.

Lucy got out of bed and quietly opened her door. The bathroom was right across the hall, so she tried to move quickly into it, so as not to get the others' attention. She was still feeling just done with people.

Voices drifted towards her. She heard her name. Tantalized, she left the door open slightly and stood there listening. She recognized Wyatt and Rufus' voices, but most of the others were unfamiliar to her. Her guess from how they were talking was that everyone was extremely drunk. She heard what they were saying and she frowned in embarrassment.

"You are so lucky, Wyatt. You've got this great piece of tail that just moved in with you." She had no idea who said that.

Wyatt started to say something, but someone else cut him off. "Lucy is so gorgeous. You are so lucky. You've still got Jessica chasing you down. Gwen and Cara are like all hot for you. Kurt wouldn't kick you out of bed." Laughter followed, and clearly Kurt was one of the guys there. She heard a faint "Damn straight," after which there was more laughter and a joke she couldn't catch but assumed was Kurt clarifying how not straight he was. She almost closed the door having heard enough. But then she heard Rufus say something about a side piece, and Lucy's face burned. _Was he talking about her? _She thought he was her friend. She nearly did close the door, until she heard Wyatt's voice.

"Drop it guys, there is nothing going on between Lucy and me. Just get it out of your heads, okay? We are just housemates. You can't see me with a nerd like that can you? But if you are all so jealous of me and my conquests, I suggest you get your butts out there and search out somebody like Rufus did." Murmurs of approval. "Kurt especially. You can do better than a dumb, hick, straight-boy like me." Laughter. "Also, it is 2am and I have to work in the morning, so maybe you can all get on your search elsewhere?" Lucy closed the door. Her face red. She sat silently, feeling strangely broken-hearted for no good reason that she could see.

_Of course I mean nothing to him. We are just housemates._

She waited a while until she heard the door close. She heard nothing so assumed that Wyatt had gone to sleep. She left the bathroom, just in time to see Wyatt open the door and come in.

"Oh, Lucy-those guys were wasted so I got them an Uber. I'm so sorry about that party. I never should have let-" He took in the look on her face, and stopped. "Lucy, how long were you awake?" She shrugged slightly. Then stepped into her room shutting the door. She lay back on her bed, numb and exhausted.

_I can't cry. But I thought he liked me as a friend at least?_

She heard Wyatt knock on the door, but she ignored it.


	10. Chapter 10

The following week, Lucy tried to avoid Wyatt without looking like she was avoiding Wyatt.

The morning after the party, he was solicitous and apologetic: offering recriminations about letting the apartment get flooded with people, apologizing to Lucy for pushing her out of her own room, for making noise so late into the night.

She got the distinct impression with his last comment that Wyatt was trying to gauge just how much Lucy might have heard of the drunken conversation about Wyatt's love life. A knot clenched her stomach. Her breath sped up, adrenaline spiking her system as anger and disappointment clashed within her. She felt a flush creep up her face. This time it wasn't from her errant thoughts flying to images of her housemate shirtless, or softly relaxed in sleep. Instead her mind went to his words after the party. _Can you imagine me with a nerd like her?_ Her breath caught a little in pain once more.

After several tearful hours in the darkness of her bedroom in the wee hours, Lucy had decided she would give him no sign that she'd heard. Facing him now, she took a deep breath, willing the tension in her body to disappear. Her response was carefully bright and cheerful.

"Wyatt, you were just helping out your friends. And they're my friends, too. It made them happy." Lucy shrugged, aiming for the vicinity of casual, no-my-heart-hasn't-been-stomped-on-at-all. "Don't apologize for doing something nice."

Trying to underscore her lack of caring, she reached out and touched his wrist slightly. She'd done something similar the evening before the party, when Wyatt caught her crawling on the floor trying to sweep decade-old dust bunnies out from under the couch. Wyatt had said, "Knock it off, Cinderella," and then roundly denied any need to do that level of cleaning for the crowd they expected. Lucy had suddenly realized that her mother's standards for entertaining need not be hers. She'd felt a release, like a burden she'd been carrying on her back without noticing it for years. Laughing at herself, she'd touched Wyatt's hand.

His answering grin appeared in her mind as she made the gesture again. But the stiff smile on her face now felt nothing like her giggles of relief the day prior. And the tentative nod and searching look Wyatt returned was nothing like the artless, brilliant smile he'd given her when he'd taken the broom out of her hands.

Lucy doubled down on her smile, standing on her pride and swallowing her hope. _Stupid to ever think he would be interested in me. Stupid, stupid._

* * *

In the days that followed, she saw a lot of Jiya. No need to look for an excuse to seek out distraction; her friend was on fire with plans for the wedding. Rufus seemed to be a little bit bowled over, but he had set this vehicle in motion. Neither of them wanted to wait a year or more to make it official. They both had little family, and their friends pretty much all got together at the beach or at one or the other of their houses any old time. So why not just toss a vase of flowers on the table and dress some place up a bit to make a wedding happen?

Lucy gave them some input. Working with her mother on academic events, she knew just how hard it was. _There, _she thought, _some of my Mom's anal retentiveness can come in handy here at last._ Responsibilities multiplied as you got more people involved and what was simple with a dozen friends could be completely overwhelming with 50 friends, family and other assorted "well they have to be there" kind of folk. Lucy convinced them they could find a low-key, but fun and supportive venue. And she promised to help them work up a budget that they could afford.

"Lucy, you gonna get another job as a wedding planner? Looks like you've got the skills," Wyatt said. He came home from a volunteer shift to find Lucy settled at their coffee table looking over site estimates and catering menus.

Lucy scrambled to clear up the papers. "I'll get out of the way, Wyatt." She chanced a quick glance his way, and gave what she hoped was a normal smile, "Nope. No new job for me. Just a favor for a friend." She heard herself emphasizing the last word and took a deep breath trying to catch a hold of her feelings. "But speaking of which, I do have a bunch of papers to finish. I had dinner already, see you later, Wyatt!"

She scurried out of the living room. With her gaze studiously on the ground, she missed the look of sadness and regret clouding Wyatt's eyes. Lucy closed her door louder than she intended. She also missed seeing Wyatt opening his mouth, begin to ask her what was going on.

Lucy dumped the pile of papers on her small desk. She slumped down in her chair and opened up her laptop. After poking through a list of emails she gazed longingly at the notebook she kept her hand written notes for her novel. After half an hour of reading and re-reading the same paragraph on the Battle of Gettysburg, she closed her laptop and grabbed her notebook. Lying down on her stomach on her bed, she started a new page with the heading, "Ways Parting."

* * *

Lucy slid the huge worn metal door open. The tall ceiling showed exposed brick and piping that had sheltered thousands of workers until the collapse of the industry left the structure abandoned. Now the hall was lit by neon and exposed filaments of vintage light bulbs. The hum of simulated motors warred with battle cries and explosions as the entertainment of yet another past era took the place of whirring machinery. Lucy took a seat at one of the long wooden tables that filled the central space of the restaurant. The outer circle leading to an ample bar, was lined with blinking video games. Lucy smiled thinking of her friends, hoping this would be as perfect as she had become convinced it would be when she found the listing online. She needed something to go right. She'd been having trouble sleeping since the party. Her heart ached each time she saw Wyatt. _Tonight is about Rufus and Jiya,_ she wrenched her thoughts back from the precipice they kept wandering towards.

The door opened again. Two figures entered. Lucy blinked at the light they emerged that broke the dimness of the restaurant interior. As her eyes adjusted, Lucy could see their smiles. She nodded at them and jumped up to meet them and show them around.

After an hour of discussion with the restaurant manager, some sampling of unique liquers and several rounds of Dig Dug and Ms Pac Man, the three friends settled at a table to down some truffle fries and roasted brussel sprouts. Rufus asked Lucy how the editing gig was working out.

"It's fantastic. I had such a response from the boards that Faye introduced me to that I actually have hired them to help me with the mid-semester backlog. I've started saving money and I've practically got enough for a downpayment-" Lucy broke off. She hadn't told anyone yet that she was thinking about moving out of her shared apartment with Wyatt.

Rufus nodded, "You getting a car then? The traffic is terrible, but it helps a lot to have your own wheels to get around. I bet Wyatt can hook you up with one. We've gotten our last three cars re-fitted by him."

Lucy nodded vigorously, so pleased to have an escape from her mistake. Jiya eyed her closely, not taken in.

As they left the venue, Jiya spoke quietly aside to Lucy as Rufus summoned a Lyft on his phone.

"Lucy, you haven't said anything about a car. Is that what you meant?" Lucy tried to smile and nod. Jiya went on, "Really?"

Lucy couldn't maintain it. "You know, you remind me of my mom sometimes. No, I've been putting money aside since I got ahead of things, and I'm thinking of finding a place on my own."

"Why?"

Lucy looked over at Rufus. He glanced at the two of them and she saw his eyes glow as he looked at his fiancee. Lucy grimaced and went on, "I'm just taking up space in Wyatt's life. I thought we were getting on, but at the party I heard them talking about me and Wyatt..." She looked down at her feet. "Wyatt said I meant nothing to him."

Jiya laughed, capturing Lucy's attention again. "Wait, you mean that night after the party? Rufus told me a few of them got snookered at your place and apparently they said some stupid stuff. Rufus!" Jiya, called him over. Lucy's eyes flew open in panic.

"Rufus, Lucy heard you all taking garbage last week. I knew you should have apologized to her right away."

He looked abashed. "I was hoping you just woke up as we were going out, Lucy. I had drunk-well, I don't think I've ever been so drunk as that night. I vaguely remember making some kind of comments about you and Wyatt hooking up. And I'm sorry."

Lucy's face was pink. She prayed for a truck to hit her or some other mercy from the Universe to end this moment. "It's fine, Rufus. I didn't really hear much of anything."

"Enough to make you want to move out!" Jiya said. It was Rufus' turn for his eyes to fly open.

"That is the last thing Wyatt would want," he said earnestly, "Trust me. We may have been talking trash that night, but it just because it's been so long since any of us have seen him this happy. Ever since you've moved in, he's been a different person. Really."

Lucy couldn't take it in. "You must be imagining it."

Jiya took up the thread, "I see it, too. He's always been restless, getting in trouble, yeah, chasing the ladies. But for the last year he's started talking about getting his life in order, broke up again with Jessica. And in the past few months, when you've been here, he's started really doing it."

"That night after our party was the most drunk I've seen him in a long time, and he drank way less than the rest of us."

Lucy shook her head. "It's got to be a coincidence. It's great that he's turning his life around but it's got nothing to do with me. I heard him. He said I was just some nerd he lived with."

Rufus smiled grimly. "I thought you didn't hear much of anything that night?"

Glaring at her friend, Lucy said, "Can we just drop this now? We're focusing on your future, right? Not mine? Wyatt can be with whomever he wants. It's not going to be me and that's just fine."


	11. Chapter 11

_Ivy set the thoughts she'd been having about a future together aside. She pushed away the memory of emotion filling those blue eyes. It had been too good to be true. But she didn't need him. There was a whole world out there. She would find her own way. _

Lucy's hand ached from the hours of long-hand she'd devoted to the latest chapter. In keeping up with the student's papers her own work had suffered a bit. It felt good to get back to the world she was creating for herself. This was why she'd broken away from her mother's vision for her. So much of what she was writing now was inspired by Wyatt, but it was still hers.

Her heart ached thinking about leaving the little crowded apartment. She'd felt welcomed here, but now it felt empty and painful to be in such close proximity to Wyatt. It would be tight, maybe impossible to find a place on her own. The listings lead her back to other apartment shares and her certainty wavered. _Why look for another housemate when she got along with him so well? _But despite what Rufus and Jiya had said, Lucy couldn't shake the feeling that Wyatt looked down on her. Her comfort sharing space with him had been shattered. It was time to move on.

A group of voices entered her hearing. Many feet stomped up the stairs leading to their apartment and she heard dull cursing and a groan. Lucy reached the door just as a young person holding a fist full of keys shoved it open. Lucy recognized her but couldn't place her immediately, her mind going to the students she'd met at the University. The next group in made things clear. Two taller young people were on either side of Wyatt. Wyatt was bleeding.

The world narrowed to the bare facts. Wyatt's head was bleeding. He was holding his arm gingerly. The pant leg on the same side as his other injuries was torn. The apartment suddenly had something like five to eight young people milling about. There was entirely too much chaos for Lucy.

"Okay, everyone but you, you and you, out!" she barked. She had pointed to the two people holding up the frighteningly pale Wyatt, and the person holding the keys. She went on. "Bring him to the couch. You can find bandages in the bathroom, there. You, please bring a glass of water from the kitchen. You with the keys, fill me in."

"Lucy," Wyatt said weakly but she cut him off.

"Wyatt, you get settled. I'll talk with you about why exactly you are here and not at the hospital in a moment."

Lucy put together the story from what was related to her in a stumbling fashion. The students were part of the volunteer program Wyatt participated in. They'd been refurbishing a classic car with him for weeks. The car was close to done. That night as they'd been leaving, Wyatt took off on his bike as usual. Unknown to him, one of the students had spilled oil on the garage floor. Too embarrassed to admit the mistake, they'd tried to clean it up, but a large streak of slick viscous fluid remained. Wyatt's tires spun out on that spot as he drove out of the bay.

Thankfully, his accident was witnessed by the knot of students now occupying their apartment. None of Wyatt's limbs seemed broken, but the abrasions and friction burns were clearly painful and could easily become infected without proper care. Lucy's worry for her housemate flared into the safer expression of anger and frustration. She grabbed the first aid supplies from the girl who brought them to her and started lacing into Wyatt for his irresponsiblity as she lavished alcohol on his exposed wounds. Wyatt winced, she continued on not dwelling on whether the physical pain he felt might be worse or easier than the emotional lashes she doled out.

"Has anyone called an ambulance?" Lucy interrupted her own harrangue. She glared at the taller fellow who had supported Wyatt. "Randy, right? Call 911 please."

"No." Wyatt put his hand on Randy's phone, blocking him physically from punching the numbers in. "It's really fine, Lucy. It's just cuts and scrapes. I've had much worse."

Her eyes went wide, "Why am I not surprised? Despite whatever miracle kept you from dying from sepsis last time, I'm not standing by while you risk complications." She looked back at the young man standing by, "Randy?" She nodded at the phone.

"No! Lucy, I can't.." Wyatt looked at her pleading. His eyes darted around to the young people. Lucy realized he was embarrassed. Her mind ran through a few scenarios, then one clicked home.

"Okay! Randy and, what's your name? Gil? Please help Wyatt into his bedroom and help him get out of those clothes." Lucy firmly kept herself from thinking one single thought about the words she was saying. "Andrea, could you call Wyatt's employer and let him know he had an accident at the garage? I'll get the first aid supplies and be in to help Wyatt in a moment. Then all you all can head out. We've got this in hand. I'll help Wyatt get to emergency."

Lucy used her best approximation of her mother's teacher voice and kept the youths active. Wyatt tried once more to protest, but a raised eyebrow and a knowing nod from Lucy got him to relax and submit to the aid surrounding him. After a flurry of activity that ended with Wyatt lying on his bed in undershirt and boxers with Lucy by his side, tending to his injuries with a much softer touch than before. Wyatt heaved a sigh of relief.

He put a hand to hers where it held sterile gauze doused in alcohol in contact with his abraded temple. "Thank you, Lucy," he breathed.

Lucy's heart hammered. Her breath stilled. She gazed into his eyes and felt unmoored, like she was falling into deep water. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened them and gave him a bright, saccharine smile. "Of course, Wyatt. I get it. You don't have health insurance, do you?"

Wyatt visibly winced. This time she knew it was not from tenderness to his physical injury since she had pulled her hand away slightly as she spoke.

"I've got insurance, just...the deductibles are enormous. It would eat up what I make in a year just to pay for a few days in the hospital."

"You shouldn't need that, your injuries really aren't bad. No problem really, so long as you get adequate care."

"Yeah, just.." Wyatt turned his head away, pulled his hand away from hers and rested it gingerly on his chest. She saw how his breath hitched. The shock must be wearing off, bruises and minor muscle tears all through his torso starting to be felt. He looked back at her and the contact with the bright blue of his eyes jolted through her. _I haven't been so close to him in so long,_ Lucy thought. She realized he was speaking.

"..I had to declare bankruptcy. It's hard to come back from that. I try to be a lot more careful in my driving. Always wear my helmet. I did today! I'm not sure where this scratch came from."

"It was when the kids were trying to get you away from the bike. It was still running. The handle hit you."

Wyatt's eyes flew wide again, "What are you, a psychic?"

She grinned. "Andrea described it to your boss. I've got ears, don't I?" She resumed her attentions to his wounds. She lay a calm hand near his knee to warn him that she would be cleaning the long scrape that lined his calf. "Hang in there, Wyatt. We'll figure this out together."

She listened to his breath ease itself out of his lungs in a long, slow motion. She could feel the tension ease from his body, even down to his toes. He nodded, and closed his eyes. His breathing continued to modulate, slowing, and he was asleep before she finished with all his cuts. After she was done, Lucy pulled a sheet up over him. Maybe taking a bit too long to linger, taking in the lean angles of his body. The soft fall of his brown hair. She tucked the fabric around him and breathed a sigh of relief herself.

_This could have been much, much worse. _

* * *

After several calls, Lucy found a critical care office that was open. Wyatt could get examined there at a much lower cost than checking into an emergency room. She called up Rufus for a ride and the three of them headed off to the clinic at a small strip mall not far from the beach. Lucy and Rufus assisted Wyatt back down the stairs from the apartment. Each took an arm around their shoulders for the assist. Lucy felt an all too familiar warmth fill her stomach at the feel of his arm around her. Despite everything it felt good to hold him, his side comfortably resting against hers. She focused on the logistics and looked anywhere except at Wyatt's eyes. Once they reached the car, Lucy helped him stretch out in the back seat as Rufus started the car. She tried to maintain her neutral distance, but as Wyatt leaned back into the seat, he caught her hand and pulled her closer. Her gaze was trapped.

"Thank you, Lucy." He held her hand in both of his, awkwardly. His eyes bored into hers, as if he was trying to communicate something. She saw sincerity. She saw gratitude. She saw warmth and affection. She looked away and put that sugar-bright smile back on her face.

"It's no trouble, Wyatt."

They reached the medical office with no incident. Inside was crowded and plain. Cheap plastic chairs nudged each other around a table laden down with faded magazines. Rufus and Lucy looked around, but there was barely room for Wyatt to sit down, much less both of his friends.

"Rufus, you can head out," Lucy found herself saying.

"But how will you get home?"

Lucy looked at Wyatt, realizing she had no real authority here. Her housemate nodded slightly and answered. "Mind if we give you a call later if we need it? I'm sure this will take a while. Or we can get a rideshare." Wyatt gave his friend a hug, wincing but determined. "Thank you so much."

Rufus nodded, snapping a quick picture of Wyatt who gave him the thumbs up with his bandaged hand. "You got it. No worries. Text me one way or the other. Jiya and I have a date to talk caterers, so you'd be doing me a solid if you do need a ride." He hugged Lucy briefly, murmuring "You rock." Then he was gone.

Lucy had a moment of worry. _What the hell am I doing? I cannot deal with this much vulnerable Wyatt. My heart.. _Then she dismissed the thought. He was her friend. He had been there for her when she needed him. She would be damned if she would leave him here wounded and alone. "Let's get you comfortable, Wyatt. I'll gather whatever paperwork they have for you."

It took over an hour for someone to look at Wyatt, but he assured Lucy this was far shorter of a wait than would be expected if they'd gone to the hospital.

"You still should have called 911 right away!" She couldn't keep from telling as she rejoined him in a small consulting room. Wyatt was now covered with a shapeless cloth jacket covered in hearts and roses. His lap was draped with a large paper sheet. Lucy cut off her lecture and stifled a giggle. Wyatt glared back at her.

"What? You try to look sexy in one of these." He realized what he had said and turned crimson. Lucy couldn't help herself. Something about the absurdity of the moment took over and she stepped near, smoothing an errant hair behind his ear.

"You would look sexy in a burlap bag, Wyatt." She was standing very close. Warmth from his skin burned her wrist. Her hand lingered, landed on his shoulder. She saw him lick his lips.

"Lucy..."

A firm rap at the door startled them both. Lucy stumbled backward, nearly tripping over a chair as she tried to sit as far from Wyatt as she could. A tall fellow with curly brown hair, wearing plain blue scrubs and a distracted expression on his face introduced himself as Doctor Jenkins. After confirming that Wyatt's girlfriend ("housemate") was okay to stay in the room during the consultation, the doctor asked Wyatt questions about the accident. Lucy filled in details she'd gleaned from the students, things Wyatt was unsure of or hadn't been able to see. Lucy left the room when the physical inspection happened, but they brought her back in for the diagnoses, prescription and recommendations for recovery.

"I don't want you over-exerting yourself for the next few days. Bruises and pains that you don't feel now are going to show themselves. Can you help him with household chores, food preparation and so on if needed, Lucy?"

"Oh, you don't need-" Wyatt started.

Lucy nodded vigorously. "It's no trouble. Absolutely." She saw a look from Wyatt that ignited something in her chest, then averted her eyes. _I mean nothing to him. I'm just helping him like I would anybody in this position. _

The doctor sent a prescription to a nearby pharmacy electronically, gave Wyatt a short lecture on the dangers of motor cycles replete with sobering fatality statistics, then swept off in the direction of a crying child they could hear through the thin walls of the clinic.

Wyatt stood up, leaning on Lucy in exhaustion, still tender from the exam. She breathed in the mellow spice of his soap, mingling with the acerbic tang of alcohol. She imagined for one scant moment that maybe Rufus and Jiya were right. Maybe she had misunderstood what had passed between Wyatt and his friends after the party. Wyatt's arm closed around her shoulder warmly. He breathed his thanks to her as they crossed the waiting room floor. She looked him in the eyes and saw that soft, grateful expression again. And something else that she thought she had seen during the party before everything went wrong.

They reached the parking lot and she helped Wyatt lean up against the building to wait. Taking out her phone, she searched for the rideshare app. She absently thumbed away a notification that she'd been tagged in an Instagram photo when a familiar, though far from welcome, voice was heard.

"Wyatt!" Jessica and two friends scurried across the parking lot towards them. Wyatt stared in disbelief, then winced as she grabbed him around the waist. "You're hurt!" she went on. "You poor baby!" Lucy said a brief grateful prayer that they'd met the women outside the office. The level of chaos already swirling around the waiting room would have been pitched up by several degrees of magnitude by the volume of Jessica's voice alone.

The blonde started directing her two friends to have one of them pull her car around, and for the other to help Wyatt make it to the vehicle. Wyatt tried to wave off the help, saying they could wait for a car, but Lucy could see the paleness in his demeanor. He needed to get home.

"Wyatt, take the favor. Thank you, Jessica. This is extremely thoughtful of you," Lucy said thinking skeptically of the other woman's motives but grateful for the actual fact of the ride, nonetheless. Wyatt stared at Lucy, then nodded, gratefully taking the assistance offered to him. He started hobbling towards the car that pulled up.

"Of course, Lucy. When I saw Rufus post on Insta that Wyatt had been hurt, I called Jen and Lise right away. Anything to help my man, right?"

There it was. Lucy smiled wanly and narrowed her eyes. After the stress of the day, something in Lucy snapped. "So good of you to want to help, Jessica. But I think that's for Wyatt to say, isn't it? If he's 'your man,' all of a sudden."

If a human could hiss, Lucy could swear she heard Jessica spit one one out. The blonde woman came very close to Lucy. She could feel the intensity of her gaze. "Wyatt's mine. Just because you've moved into his place and wormed your way into his life doesn't mean you could ever take my place."

Lucy felt her heartbeat race once more. Thoughts tumbled through her head about all the times she'd seen Jessica throw herself at Wyatt. The humor and patience he'd displayed even in the face of the most drunken and disorderly pawing. She saw a reason Jessica thought he was still hers: _Wyatt is loyal. _He was being true to the memory of their relationship, and standing by Jessica as a friend. Long after anything remained for him. For a moment hope lanced through Lucy. _He really doesn't want her. Maybe me? _ Then a dawning certainty offered itself to Lucy. _That's who Wyatt is. He's is there for the people around him. _The kids, her, Jiya and Rufus, even pushy as all get out Jessica. There was something driving him to do for others.

Lucy's heart dropped. The small remaining percentage of her heart that did not belong to Wyatt Logan gave up the ghost and surrendered. Just as she became convinced that there was no way he felt anything for her. She was one of his projects. She could feel grateful, but not flattered. He had been nothing but respectful. She could do the same and accept his friendship. Return his care. But not be like Jessica, expecting more than he was ready to give.

Lucy came back to earth suddenly. As her thoughts had fallen into place, she had ignored the blonde woman. Jessica was stepping up in her space, bare inches separating their faces. Lucy surfaced to hear the other woman talking about her history with the surfer. In far too graphic detail.

Lucy took a step back. She shook her head, dark locks twitching, and did the last thing the blonde woman expected. She smiled at Jessica.

"Thanks, Jess. Really." She stepped closer again and put her hand on the other woman's arm. Jessica raised it as if in defense, but Lucy gave her an honest warm smile. "He really needs to rest. Thanks so much for arranging a ride. There's no room for me. It's not a bad walk and it would be good to be out in the fresh air after that office."

Jessica struggled to keep up. She had been ramping herself up for a vicious screaming match, or fight if she got lucky. Instead, Lucy backed down and gave her the floor. She shrugged and took the win, hopping into the car. Lucy waved at the receding car, catching a glimpse of the confused look on Wyatt's face as they took off without Lucy.

Before heading back home, Lucy found her feet taking her down to the shoreline. The light was growing dimmer. Sunset was underway. She found a spot on the sand and watched the sky glimmer with reds, pinks and blues. Bonfires began shining like stars from the growing the blackness of the beach. Lucy took her shoes off. She dug her toes into the cool granules of sand beneath her. She lay back and watched the lights in the sky shimmer into view.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Wyatt.

_You okay? I'm sorry they left you there. Thank you so much for your help today._

Lucy smiled.

_It's fine. You alright? Got your meds?_

_Yeah, we stopped on the way home. _

_Good._

Lucy went back to looking at the sky. The phone buzzed in her hands again.

_Luce, you coming home? _

_You got laundry you need me to do?_

_That doctor was ridiculous. No. I can clean my own damn clothes. I'm not an invalid. _

_I'll be back soon. _

_Good. _


	12. Chapter 12

Lucy did actually do several loads of laundry for Wyatt. The next day he was incredibly sore. The pain killers helped, but made him dopey. She caught him trying to lug his duffle bag full of laundry down the long flight of stairs and just glared at him until he relinquished the load. He limped back into their apartment. Lucy returned to find him collapsed on the couch sitting in front of a dark television, too tired and full of aches to even stand up and retrieve the remote.

Lucy stood there for a moment, her heart full. Wyatt tried to get up, then groaned holding his side with his bandaged hand.

"Not an invalid, huh?" Lucy said.

Wyatt redoubled his attempt to rise, reaching past Lucy towards the far end of the table where the remote control was sitting. Lucy shook her head. She stepped out of his way, then grabbed the device and handed it to him. She moved back close to him and gently pushed his shoulder back against the couch.

"Rest up, tiger."

Wyatt had flicked on the television reflexively. It sat buzzing and flickering on the random, non-programmed channel that came up automatically. He ignored it and looked instead at Lucy. His free hand came up to touch her bare arm as she eased him back to rest. She pulled her arm away as if burned. Wyatt frowned.

"You don't have to bother," he said, brow wrinkling.

Lucy unconsciously rubbed her arm where he'd touched her. She'd been in close contact with him repeatedly over the past twenty four hours but at her initiation. His touch when she wasn't expecting it still sent her heart racing. She smiled and backed away to cover the flush she felt building. "It's no bother, Wyatt. You've helped me out a ton. And so many people. Let me give back a little. I'll just get us some lunch." He watched her with a troubled expression on his face as she moved into the kitchen.

Wyatt rebounded slowly. The medications sent him tumbling into bed early each night. Lucy girded her loins and helped him slouch into bed for several nights, until he was less loopy. He would thank her quietly as she crept out trying to let him drift into sleep.

"Thank you, Lucy." "You're good to me, Lucy." "You're the best, Luce."

She would step out of the room, close the door, then stand there, leaning against it trying desperately to catch her breath and resist the urge to turn around and crawl into bed beside him.

_He's my friend. He's not mine. He's so damn hot and good and wonderful. Go to bed, Lucy. _

* * *

Lucy and Jiya caught lunch together at the end of one of Lucy's early cafe shifts. It was a week after Wyatt's accident. Lucy had brought her notebooks with her. One dedicated to the estimates and contacts she'd gathered for Rufus and Jiya's wedding, one with her hand written notes and early drafts of the chapters of her novel. She was still on a roll with her writing and worked on it during breaks at the cafe.

She waited for her dear friend in the entryway to their favorite Thai place. Lucy marveled at how close she now felt to both Jiya and Rufus. Wyatt's friends had become her friends. The quest to help them get married made her feel more as though she belonged. She caught herself musing on how generous Wyatt had been with introducing her to people she could care about here, how that was yet another way he'd helped her find her feet in the new city. She realized the dangerous ground her thoughts were leading her into and tried to dismiss thoughts of the sexy surfer from her mind.

This restaurant was just a few doors down from her Starbucks. Lucy nodded to other patrons and waved to her favorite waitstaff member, Ram. He was a friend she had made on her own. Ram was an emigre from Thailand, but had spent portions of his childhood in Europe. He'd become a regular at the cafe, and when she started out their schedules aligned so Lucy waited on him daily. She caught the pattern and soon would have his espresso ready and waiting for him each morning. Unfortunately her early efforts made him somewhat regret her diligence. He tried be polite about it but after one notable incident where he nearly spat out a particularly watery attempt of hers at making the drink, he'd taken time to help her get the feel for it. Once she worked hard to learn to prepare the drink up to his standards, Lucy had enjoyed a pleasant uptick in her tips. Now that her second job was coming together, she'd started patronizing his place of business in turn and tipped him ridiculously as a thank you.

Jiya arrived. Lucy gave her friend a warm embrace. They entered together and Ram greeted them cheerily. Lucy gave him a friendly smile as he seated them at her usual table. He lingered and they got into shop talk, chatting easily about work, the tourist traffic and some new coffee roasts that had become available. Jiya watched the interplay between them and leaned close to Lucy after Ram went off to get the drinks they'd ordered. Lucy sipped at a glass of ice water.

Jiya said quietly, "Does Wyatt have some competition there, Lucy?"

Lucy's eyes flew open, staring at her friend. She nearly did her own spit take, but instead gulped down the mouthful of cold liquid and spilled her glass onto the table, soaking her napkin and place mat.

"What?!" said Lucy, far too loudly. A couple of heads swiveled their way. Lucy smiled embarrassed and nodded at the other patrons who returned to their own conversations after a moment. Lucy set down the glass and tried to mop up the water.

Jiya tossed her own napkin into the soppy mess in front of her friend and positively smirked. She saw the water moving its way towards Lucy's notebooks and deftly picked them up, moving them to her own drier and safer side of the table. "Come on, Lucy, we've talked about this. You cannot still believe that notion you got in your head that Wyatt just wants to be friends."

Lucy glared at her friend, but the conversation was mercifully interrupted by Ram's return with their drinks. They spent the next few minutes working with him to return the table from the mess of soaked paper goods it had become, to more order. Ram teased Lucy slightly, then disappeared. Lucy had gathered her wits about her again and was ready to respond to Jiya. She shrugged. "He's been super nice. Like the best room mate ever, seriously. But you show me where he's treated me different from anyone. Including," Lucy paused for emphasis, "including his bundle of nonsense ex-girlfriend."

Jiya snorted, "'Bundle of nonsense?' Lucy you are a trip. You sound like you just arrived from Downton Abbey, not San Francisco. I have a few choice descriptions I'd use, including words like 'nightmare' and 'octopus.'"

Lucy leaned in, "Exactly my point! She's hideous. I don't see how he can put up with her. Yet, he's always making allowances for her. And he helps everyone out, Jiya. I mean, he'd let you use our tiny little apartment for your wedding if you even halfway asked."

Jiya pulled a face. "Waaay too small. We barely fit everyone for the engagement party."

"But he volunteered our place at the drop of a hat for that, right?!" Lucy shook her hands, the thoughts she'd been harboring pouring out now. "He'd drive you both to Acapulco on his motorcycle if you gave him the chance."

"After his accident, he'll be lucky if we let him drive himself across town anytime soon. You took his keys away, right?"

Lucy shot her friend an incredulous look. "You think I can take Wyatt's motorcycle keys away from him?"

"Oh well, who got him to go to the doctor after his smashup?"

"It was hardly a smashup, luckily." Lucy breathed a sigh of gratitude and closed her eyes briefly in a moment's prayer of thanks. Jiya's smirk deepened. "It was just logical. He was hurt, and he needed care."

"Uh, huh. Yeah. No. Jessica couldn't have-well, that's a bad example actually. The last accident he had, Jessica got on his case about making her late for a party. But Rufus, and I and a bunch of his surf crew tried to get him to go to the hospital that night too and he was having none of it. When I saw that update from Rufus about you bringing Wyatt to the doctor my first thought was honestly to wonder if this was some kind of prank. But then I saw you there with Wyatt and I thought... Hmm... Maybe things are changing."

Lucy stared, and felt a blush creep across her cheeks as she listened to her friend. She thought back on that evening and remember how harsh she had been to him. "I lectured him pretty badly. I bet he thinks I bullied him into it."

"I think that boy needs a little bit of tough love now and then. He got precious little of anything resembling love when he was little, from what I hear."

Lucy was gearing herself up to launch into a rebuttal about the use of the 'L' word at all about her and Wyatt, when her attention was caught by this new information. "Not a happy childhood?"

Jiya frowned. "Closer to abusive." She sighed and shook her head. "Scratch that, just plain abusive."

Lucy felt herself grow paler. She wanted to say she was surprised, but she wasn't. It actually made things make more sense rather than less. "His parents?"

"I don't know the details, but his dad really. Alcohol. Domestic abuse."

Lucy winced. She looked at Jiya wordlessly. Her friend continued, looking pained. "His dad hit his mom. I'm pretty sure that Wyatt tried to protect her. He got into a lot of trouble from what I hear." She shrugged. "Rufus knows more of the details. But it's probably not the best for anyone but Wyatt to tell you. If.."

Lucy looked up curiously as her friend trailed off. "If?"

"If you want to know." Lucy looked way pensively. Taking in this information and wondering what exactly she did want of Wyatt Logan.

Jiya sighed again and fingered the notebooks that were still sitting in front of her. "Well, I guess we should stop nattering on about your love life or lack there of and get planning for my blissful marriage." She opened up the top book and started leafing through the notes written in Lucy's neat, looping hand. "Hmm... nice drawing, Lucy. Wait..." Jiya pulled the book closer to her face. Her eyes widened and lit up.

Lucy was still thinking and feeling hard so she didn't notice her friend's reaction for a few moments. Then she saw just which notebook Jiya was now rapidly leafing through. "Hey! That's private!" Lucy took a swipe the book, but Jiya pulled it out of her reach.

She read from the book, "'His blue eyes dazzled her, like the clear azure of his watercolor sky.' C'mon, Lucy. I mean, it's pretty purple but tell me that's not Wyatt?!"

Flustered, Lucy decided to stonewall. "You realize Wyatt is not the only guy in the world with blue eyes right?"

"So you live with some other blue-eyed hunk?" Jiya continued leafing through the pages, "And this, 'She pulled apart the shirt to tend his wound. She found herself distracted by the trim lines of his chest.' C'mon Preson, admit it."

"Admit what?" Lucy vainly attempted to look innocent.

Jiya rolled her eyes and put the book down on the table. "You've got a crazy thing for Wyatt! And why shouldn't you, he's gorgeous, and available, and sleeps like 20 feet from your bed!" Lucy saw her moment and grabbed her notebook cradling it to her chest. But it was too late.

Jiya went on, "All this time you kept downplaying the idea that Wyatt was into you, I thought you were on the fence. He is gorgeous, but comes with a lot of baggage so I could kinda see it. Or maybe he never does laundry and farts all the time or something." Lucy laughed despite herself. Jiya shrugged, "Okay, so now I know you've just been holding out on me about how in love with him you are-"

This was a too much. "Stop. Just stop it Jiya. Okay, so maybe I draw a little inspiration from Wyatt for my story. I mean, he is right there, and he's, well..."

"Gorgeous? Outrageously gorgeous?"

"I was going to say Adonis-like. He's got great bone structure."

Ram came over to the table bearing their lunch, and Jiya said into her hand, "If you want to talk boning..." and Lucy kicked her beneath the table.

"Ouch!" Ram gave Jiya a concerned glance. She smiled and assured him nothing was wrong. Then glared at Lucy as she chatted with Ram and thanked him again for his help with the spill.

They tucked into their food. Lucy avoiding Jiya's eyes, Jiya shaking her head, staring at her friend.

"All right," Jiya said.

"All right what?"

"I'll keep your secret."

Lucy's eyes went wide. She looked up at Jiya. "What secret?"

Jiya rolled her eyes, and slumped nearly hitting letting her hair dip into her lunch. "Your secret," she growled, "That you are head over heels in love-" Lucy made a sound. Jiya sighed and shook her head. "Okay, in lust then-with your house mate. I won't tell him. I won't even say anything to Rufus."

"There's nothing to tell." Lucy was shaking with relief inside, but outside she just couldn't let it go. Jiya decided to change tack.

"Okay, then I'll just mention what I say to Wyatt today. Maybe he can help you do some editing while he's laid up. He did fail English, but that was because he got suspended for drinking on campus. His English teacher turned him in. He would have gotten an A if he hadn't decided to bail on his exams out of spite."

"You wouldn't..." Lucy was panicking for real now.

"Watch me." Jiya picked up her phone and paged through her contacts, looking for Wyatt. Lucy put her hand on the phone.

"All right."

"All right what?"

"I do. I...like Wyatt."

"Are we in grade school now? It's okay to want him. You'd be in good company. You and like, everyone."

"I just.." Lucy looked at Jiya, vulnerability in her eyes. She spoke quietly. "I really don't know how he feels about me. I thought maybe, at your party, but then." She looked away and Jiya finally saw how hurt Lucy had been by Wyatt's comments. "He called me a nerd. That's what it's always been. It made me remember how different we were. Like you said, everyone wants Wyatt, why on earth would he want an ugly geek like me?"

"Lucy, that is just not true. I mean, yeah you are a nerd's nerd. That's part of why Rufus and I love you so much. But you're gorgeous. And Wyatt thinks so too. Do you really not see the way he looks at you?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. Well, maybe once or twice. But he's so nice, Jiya. He just seems as nice with me as he is with everybody. And when i realized how much he puts himself out there for other people, I mean, it made sense that he was floating me for rent for months without me knowing it-"

"What!?" It was Jiya's turn to capture unwanted attention. She continued in a quieter tone of voice and conversations around them resumed. "He supported you?"

A pink stain crept up Lucy's cheeks. "I was having really hard time until the editing took off."

Jiya put her hand on Lucy's. "You could have come to Rufus and me."

"No, I couldn't have, actually. I barely knew you then. He's been, like a rock."

"Lucy Preston, are you crying?"

"No! I mean, well, yes."

"Good. You've got to stop all this macho denying everything bullshit. No, you don't love Wyatt, no you're not crying. Garbage. Did you grow up in a convent or with gangsters or something?"

"Try academia. Being the daughter of one of the most influential and ambitious professors at Stanford was not the most forgiving of atmospheres."

"Ah, it's the ivory tower showing in you."

Lucy sighed, then gave her friend a crooked grin. "Yeah. Vulnerability is not really tolerated. I'm supposed to have three degrees by now and be well on my way to inheriting her position as head of the History department."

"What, you're suppose to inherit, like it's a kingdom? Princess Lucy? "

"Yup. That sounds about right."

"Lucy," Jiya began, then stopped. "Lucy, that's pretty awful. And I can bet that your mother wasn't too generous with praise of you for anything except good grades?"

Lucy nodded. "Things begin to make sense." Jiya looked down at her plate and picked up her fork. "First, we should finish this delicious food, and not let it go to waste any longer." Lucy nodded again, resuming her meal. "Then, I maybe need to take you out for a primping session or something to raise your spirits, because although I will keep your secret." Lucy nodded, finally ready to admit her feelings, though non-verbally was all she could handle at the moment.

"Okay, good. But I will not support this fiction going in your head that he isn't interested. I won't throw him in your lap, but I refuse to stand by and let you sabotage your own chances by drowning in self-doubt." Lucy stared at her friend and felt tears forming in her eyes again.

Jiya went on, "Plus, if Wyatt is stupid enough to let you get away, it does seem like Ram or Faye or someone else might benefit. And really," Jiya put her hand on Lucy's again, "who gives a damn about anyone else. I just would love to see you start to get that poison out of your head that says you're not as beautiful as you are brilliant."

"Jiya.."

"Eat your food, Preston. We've got a long day of pampering ahead of us."


End file.
